Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) Shares Bought by Pacer Advisors Inc.

Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 23.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 5,340 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,021 shares during the quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $758,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 12.9% during the 3rd quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 843 shares of the company’s stock worth $110,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank increased its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 2,267 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Aurora Investment Managers LLC. grew its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 0.9% during the third quarter. Aurora Investment Managers LLC. now owns 12,465 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,624,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. Malaga Cove Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 8.0% during the third quarter. Malaga Cove Capital LLC now owns 2,034 shares of the company’s stock valued at $265,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 81.4% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 399 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

Choice Hotels International Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE:CHH opened at $149.07 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $144.59 and a two-hundred day moving average of $136.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.24. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $108.91 and a 12-month high of $153.81.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.31. Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 16.27% and a negative return on equity of 659.01%. The business had revenue of $428.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $432.62 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.82 EPS. Choice Hotels International’s quarterly revenue was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 6.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Patrick Pacious sold 26,816 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 404,666 shares in the company, valued at approximately $58,551,123.54. The trade was a 6.21 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 24.02% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $129.00 price target (down previously from $145.00) on shares of Choice Hotels International in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Susquehanna raised their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $113.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Jefferies Financial Group raised 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. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $123.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Five investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $135.92.

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.