Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Decreases Stake in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System reduced its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 4.2% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,800 shares of the company’s stock after selling 300 shares during the quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System’s holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $809,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. State of Michigan Retirement System raised its position in Choice Hotels International by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 6,032 shares of the company’s stock worth $762,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 144.4% during the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 198 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. MJP Associates Inc. ADV lifted its position in Choice Hotels International by 7.4% during the second quarter. MJP Associates Inc. ADV now owns 1,836 shares of the company’s stock valued at $219,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd lifted its position in Choice Hotels International by 163.2% during the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 229 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 307.4% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 220 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. 65.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Patrick Cimerola sold 13,259 shares of Choice Hotels International stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.08, for a total transaction of $1,658,435.72. Following the sale, the insider now owns 23,461 shares in the company, valued at $2,934,501.88. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 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 filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Patrick Cimerola sold 13,259 shares of Choice Hotels International stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.08, for a total value of $1,658,435.72. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 23,461 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,934,501.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 24.02% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Choice Hotels International Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of Choice Hotels International stock opened at $127.79 on Friday. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $108.91 and a fifty-two week high of $134.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 177.75, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.37. The company has a market capitalization of $6.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a fifty day moving average of $123.64 and a 200 day moving average of $120.51.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported $1.84 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.86 by ($0.02). Choice Hotels International had a return on equity of 748.46% and a net margin of 15.34%. The business had revenue of $435.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $438.29 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.75 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 6.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on CHH shares. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $137.00 to $134.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded Choice Hotels International from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and set a $120.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Friday, July 19th. Barclays cut their price target on Choice Hotels International from $114.00 to $112.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $128.00 to $112.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 9th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Choice Hotels International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Choice Hotels International currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $130.18.

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.