Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) Shares Sold by Barclays PLC

Barclays PLC lowered its stake in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 62.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,409 shares of the company’s stock after selling 19,055 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC’s holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $1,486,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its stake in Choice Hotels International by 43.6% during the 2nd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 7,049 shares of the company’s stock valued at $839,000 after purchasing an additional 2,139 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in Choice Hotels International during the second quarter valued at about $56,000. Natixis Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 917.2% during the second quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 161,799 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,254,000 after acquiring an additional 145,893 shares during the period. Tortoise Investment Management LLC raised its position in Choice Hotels International by 129.4% in the second quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 250 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Markel Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 30.8% in the 2nd quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 110,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,150,000 after acquiring an additional 26,000 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on CHH shares. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Choice Hotels International in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $133.00 price objective on the stock. Susquehanna raised their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Jefferies Financial Group cut Choice Hotels International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $150.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $134.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on 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. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $134.18.

Choice Hotels International Stock Performance

Shares of CHH stock opened at $140.82 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.23. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $108.91 and a 1-year high of $153.81. The company has a current ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 177.75. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $144.22 and its 200-day simple moving average is $131.88.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.31. The company had revenue of $428.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $432.62 million. Choice Hotels International had a negative return on equity of 659.01% and a net margin of 16.27%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.82 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 6.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be given a $0.2875 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.82%. Choice Hotels International’s payout ratio is 22.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Choice Hotels International

In related news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 9,138 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, October 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.88, for a total transaction of $1,232,533.44. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 68,509 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,240,493.92. This trade represents a 11.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Robert J. Mcdowell sold 8,712 shares of Choice Hotels International stock in a transaction on Friday, October 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.99, for a total value of $1,176,032.88. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 38,502 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,197,384.98. The trade was a 18.45 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 53,572 shares of company stock valued at $7,562,444 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 24.02% of the company’s stock.

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.