Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $7.44 Million Stock Position in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Principal Financial Group Inc. lowered its stake in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 1.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 52,388 shares of the company’s stock after selling 880 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.11% of Choice Hotels International worth $7,438,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International in the 3rd quarter valued at $55,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International in the 3rd quarter valued at $63,000. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International in the 4th quarter valued at $125,000. Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International in the 4th quarter valued at $143,000. Finally, Trust Co. of Vermont increased its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 34.0% in the 4th quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 1,045 shares of the company’s stock valued at $148,000 after buying an additional 265 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Jefferies Financial Group upped 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 report on Thursday, January 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $113.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Morgan Stanley restated an “underweight” rating and issued a $129.00 price objective (down previously from $145.00) on shares of Choice Hotels International in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $139.92.

Choice Hotels International Trading Down 0.1 %

CHH stock opened at $143.10 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $145.45 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $139.35. The stock has a market cap of $6.69 billion, a PE ratio of 22.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.23. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $108.91 and a 1 year high of $157.86.

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

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued 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 Activity

In other news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.30, for a total value of $519,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 68,913 shares in the company, valued at $10,219,797.90. This trade represents a 4.83 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 24.02% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.