Maverick Capital Ltd. Sells 1,266 Shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Maverick Capital Ltd. lowered its position in shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 30.7% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 2,852 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,266 shares during the period. Maverick Capital Ltd.’s holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $339,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 144.4% during the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 198 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 307.4% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 220 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in Choice Hotels International by 163.2% in the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 229 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 129.4% during the 2nd quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 250 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares during the period. Finally, Vima LLC bought a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Institutional investors own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 13,117 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.45, for a total value of $1,632,410.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 69,171 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,608,330.95. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 13,117 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.45, for a total transaction of $1,632,410.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 69,171 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,608,330.95. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Patrick Pacious sold 10,025 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.37, for a total value of $1,206,709.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 404,666 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,709,646.42. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 44,241 shares of company stock valued at $5,517,383 in the last three months. 24.02% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on CHH shares. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Choice Hotels International in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. They set a “sell” rating and a $105.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group lowered their price target on Choice Hotels International from $126.00 to $125.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 9th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Choice Hotels International from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. Susquehanna began coverage on shares of Choice Hotels International in a research note on Friday, June 21st. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 target price for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut shares of Choice Hotels International from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and set a $120.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $125.64.

Choice Hotels International Stock Performance

CHH opened at $132.77 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.25. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $125.80 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $122.05. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $108.91 and a 1 year high of $134.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 177.75, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.99.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported $1.84 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.86 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $435.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $438.29 million. Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 15.42% and a negative return on equity of 3,953.67%. The company’s revenue was up 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.75 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 6.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st will be paid a $0.2875 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.87%. Choice Hotels International’s payout ratio is currently 24.68%.

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.