Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) Shares Sold by HighTower Advisors LLC

HighTower Advisors LLC reduced its position in shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 8.3% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 10,490 shares of the company’s stock after selling 947 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $1,361,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings 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 valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Choice Hotels International by 129.4% during the 2nd quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 250 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. grew its stake in Choice Hotels International by 1,146.9% during the 2nd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 399 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 367 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Choice Hotels International in the second quarter worth $56,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC bought a new stake in Choice Hotels International in the second quarter valued at $69,000. 65.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Choice Hotels International Stock Up 0.0 %

Shares of CHH stock opened at $146.45 on Monday. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $108.91 and a 1 year high of $153.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 177.75, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.71. The business’s fifty day moving average is $142.50 and its 200-day moving average is $130.00. The stock has a market cap of $6.87 billion, a PE ratio of 28.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.23.

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

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.2875 per share. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 2nd. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.03%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on CHH shares. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $118.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $134.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on Choice Hotels International from $113.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Choice Hotels International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $150.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on Choice Hotels International in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $133.00 target price on the stock. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $134.18.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Simone Wu sold 7,840 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.08, for a total value of $1,019,827.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 45,669 shares in the company, valued at $5,940,623.52. This trade represents a 14.65 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Robert J. Mcdowell sold 8,712 shares of Choice Hotels International stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.99, for a total value of $1,176,032.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 38,502 shares in the company, valued at $5,197,384.98. This represents a 18.45 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 61,412 shares of company stock worth $8,582,271. Corporate insiders own 24.02% of the company’s stock.

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.