Bank of New York Mellon Corp Decreases Stock Holdings in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Bank of New York Mellon Corp lowered its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 8.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 226,888 shares of the company’s stock after selling 21,857 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp owned about 0.48% of Choice Hotels International worth $32,214,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International in the third quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in Choice Hotels International during the third quarter worth approximately $63,000. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Choice Hotels International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $125,000. Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Choice Hotels International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $143,000. Finally, Trust Co. of Vermont grew its stake in Choice Hotels International by 34.0% during the fourth quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 1,045 shares of the company’s stock worth $148,000 after buying an additional 265 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

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 shares were sold at an average price of $148.30, for a total transaction of $519,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 68,913 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,219,797.90. This trade represents a 4.83 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.40, for a total transaction of $257,032.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 32,014 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,622,821.60. This trade represents a 5.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 24.02% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on CHH shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Choice Hotels International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $134.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $118.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $131.00 to $139.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $140.67.

Choice Hotels International Stock Up 2.0 %

CHH stock opened at $145.04 on Friday. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $109.22 and a fifty-two week high of $157.86. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $145.78 and its 200 day simple moving average is $140.10. The stock has a market cap of $6.78 billion, a PE ratio of 23.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.25.

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

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a $0.2875 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.79%. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.46%.

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.