Wells Fargo & Company Has Lowered Expectations for Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) Stock Price

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) had its price objective reduced by investment analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $138.00 to $137.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “underweight” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price target points to a potential downside of 4.90% from the company’s previous close.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on CHH. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on 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 raised shares of Choice Hotels International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $118.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price target on Choice Hotels International from $134.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $140.67.

Choice Hotels International Price Performance

Shares of Choice Hotels International stock opened at $144.06 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $145.61 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $139.78. Choice Hotels International has a 1 year low of $109.22 and a 1 year high of $157.86. The company has a market capitalization of $6.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.25.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last posted 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. Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 18.91% and a negative return on equity of 472.31%. The company had revenue of $389.77 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $374.24 million. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Choice Hotels International will post 7.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC raised its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 30.3% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 370 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Choice Hotels International during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 55.8% during the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 430 shares of the company’s stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $62,000. Finally, Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ lifted its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 836.2% in the 4th quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 440 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 393 shares during the period. 65.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Choice Hotels International

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.