Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Jefferies Financial Group Analyst Says

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) had its price objective increased by Jefferies Financial Group from $150.00 to $152.00 in a research report sent to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. Jefferies Financial Group currently has a hold rating on the stock.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on CHH. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $138.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $134.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Choice Hotels International from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on Choice Hotels International from $123.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Four investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Choice Hotels International currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $134.36.

Choice Hotels International Stock Performance

Shares of CHH opened at $141.67 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $144.64 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $132.48. Choice Hotels International has a 12 month low of $108.91 and a 12 month 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 has a market capitalization of $6.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.23.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last announced its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.23 EPS 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 analyst estimates of $432.62 million. Choice Hotels International had a negative return on equity of 659.01% and a net margin of 16.27%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.82 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Choice Hotels International will post 6.84 EPS for the current year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.2875 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.81%. Choice Hotels International’s payout ratio is 22.03%.

Insider Activity at Choice Hotels International

In other Choice Hotels International news, CEO Patrick Pacious sold 7,192 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.95, for a total value of $1,042,480.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 404,666 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $58,656,336.70. The trade was a 1.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Robert J. Mcdowell sold 8,712 shares of the firm’s 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. This represents a 18.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 53,572 shares of company stock valued at $7,562,444. 24.02% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Choice Hotels International

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CHH. Tortoise Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Choice Hotels International by 129.4% in the second quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 250 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 81.4% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 399 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares during the period. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Choice Hotels International in the third quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Quarry LP purchased a new position in Choice Hotels International in the third quarter valued at approximately $63,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC bought a new position in Choice Hotels International during the second quarter valued at $69,000. Institutional investors own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

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.