Victory Capital Management Inc. Sells 527,840 Shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Victory Capital Management Inc. reduced its position in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 99.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,718 shares of the company’s stock after selling 527,840 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $670,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Anchor Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International during the third quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International during the third quarter valued at approximately $63,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 165.5% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 600 shares of the company’s stock valued at $85,000 after purchasing an additional 374 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $125,000. Finally, Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $143,000. 65.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CHH has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $150.00 to $152.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Choice Hotels International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 15th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $131.00 to $139.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $138.00 to $137.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Bank of America raised 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 note 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 assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Choice Hotels International presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $141.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 68,913 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,219,797.90. This trade represents a 4.83 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.40, for a total transaction of $257,032.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 32,014 shares in the company, valued at $4,622,821.60. The trade was a 5.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 24.02% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Choice Hotels International Stock Performance

Shares of CHH opened at $129.65 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $143.92 and a two-hundred day moving average of $140.38. The stock has a market cap of $6.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.25. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a one year low of $109.22 and a one year high of $157.86.

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

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $0.2875 per share. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.46%.

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.