Janney Montgomery Scott LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC reduced its position in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 12.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 50,078 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,316 shares during the quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC owned approximately 0.11% of Choice Hotels International worth $7,110,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 38.5% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 402,293 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,419,000 after purchasing an additional 111,903 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates boosted its position in Choice Hotels International by 45.4% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 364,983 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,557,000 after buying an additional 113,951 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH acquired a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International in the third quarter worth $19,545,000. Stifel Financial Corp increased its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 31.4% during the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 143,783 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,735,000 after acquiring an additional 34,396 shares during the period. Finally, Markel Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 4.5% in the third quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 115,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,050,000 after acquiring an additional 5,000 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

Choice Hotels International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CHH opened at $148.64 on Wednesday. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $108.91 and a 12 month high of $153.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.24. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $144.73 and its 200 day moving average price is $135.74.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.31. The business had revenue of $428.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $432.62 million. Choice Hotels International had a negative return on equity of 659.01% and a net margin of 16.27%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.82 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 6.84 EPS for the current year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd were issued a $0.2875 dividend. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 2nd. Choice Hotels International’s payout ratio is currently 22.03%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on CHH shares. Barclays increased their price target on Choice Hotels International from $123.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of Choice Hotels International in a report on Thursday, December 5th. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $133.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $129.00 price objective (down from $145.00) on shares of Choice Hotels International in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $135.92.

Insider Transactions at Choice Hotels International

In other news, CEO Patrick Pacious sold 26,816 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.69, for a total transaction of $3,880,007.04. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 404,666 shares in the company, valued at approximately $58,551,123.54. This represents a 6.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 24.02% of the company’s stock.

Choice Hotels International 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.