Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) Price Target Raised to $139.00 at Morgan Stanley

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) had its price objective lifted by Morgan Stanley from $131.00 to $139.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an underweight rating on the stock.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on CHH. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Choice Hotels International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $130.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $118.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Choice Hotels International currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $140.67.

Choice Hotels International Price Performance

Shares of Choice Hotels International stock opened at $144.44 on Tuesday. Choice Hotels International has a 1 year low of $108.91 and a 1 year high of $157.86. The firm has a market cap of $6.75 billion, a PE ratio of 23.19, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $145.61 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $139.78.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.10. Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 18.91% and a negative return on equity of 472.31%. The business had revenue of $389.77 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $374.24 million. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Choice Hotels International will post 7.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a $0.2875 dividend. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. Choice Hotels International’s payout ratio is 18.46%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Choice Hotels International news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.30, for a total transaction of $519,050.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 68,913 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,219,797.90. The trade was a 4.83 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 24.02% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its position in Choice Hotels International by 30.3% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 370 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Choice Hotels International during the 3rd quarter valued at $55,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC increased its position in Choice Hotels International by 55.8% during the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 430 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the period. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ increased its position in Choice Hotels International by 836.2% during the 4th quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 440 shares of the company’s stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 393 shares during the period. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in Choice Hotels International during the 4th quarter valued at $62,000. 65.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Choice Hotels International

Choice Hotels International, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a hotel franchisor in the United States and internationally. It operates through Hotel Franchising & Management and Corporate & Other segments. The company franchises lodging properties under the brand names of Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Clarion, Clarion Pointe, Sleep Inn, Ascend Hotel Collection, Econo Lodge, Rodeway Inn, MainStay Suites, Suburban Studios, WoodSpring Suites, Everhome Suites, Cambria Hotels, Radisson Blu, Radisson RED, Radisson, Park Plaza, Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Radisson Inn & Suites, Park Inn by Radisson, Radisson Individuals, and Radisson Collection.