Jones Financial Companies Lllp Increases Stock Position in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its stake in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 165.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 600 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 374 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp’s holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $85,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in CHH. Norden Group LLC grew its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 4,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $639,000 after acquiring an additional 223 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,895,000. CIBC Asset Management Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International during the 4th quarter valued at about $214,000. Congress Asset Management Co. raised its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 17.3% during the 4th quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 82,131 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,661,000 after buying an additional 12,128 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International during the 4th quarter valued at about $143,000. Institutional investors own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

Choice Hotels International Price Performance

Shares of Choice Hotels International stock opened at $130.12 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $144.90 and a 200 day moving average price of $140.44. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $109.22 and a 1 year high of $157.86. The stock has a market cap of $6.08 billion, a PE ratio of 20.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.25.

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

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $0.2875 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.88%. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.46%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.30, for a total value 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. This trade represents a 4.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.40, for a total transaction of $257,032.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 32,014 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,622,821.60. This represents a 5.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 24.02% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on CHH. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $131.00 to $139.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Choice Hotels International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $118.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $150.00 to $152.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Choice Hotels International currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $140.67.

Choice Hotels International Company Profile

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.