Stephens Inc. AR Takes Position in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Stephens Inc. AR bought a new stake in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor bought 1,787 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $233,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Congress Asset Management Co. raised its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 15.1% during the third quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 70,003 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,121,000 after purchasing an additional 9,202 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 15.0% during the third quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,386 shares of the company’s stock worth $315,000 after purchasing an additional 312 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Choice Hotels International during the third quarter worth about $42,280,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 12.9% during the third quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 843 shares of the company’s stock worth $110,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Finally, OLD National Bancorp IN raised its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 38.5% during the third quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN now owns 3,821 shares of the company’s stock worth $498,000 after purchasing an additional 1,062 shares in the last quarter. 65.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Choice Hotels International

In related news, insider Patrick Cimerola sold 1,714 shares of Choice Hotels International stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total value of $231,390.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 18,084 shares in the company, valued at $2,441,340. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Choice Hotels International news, insider Patrick Cimerola sold 1,714 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total transaction of $231,390.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 18,084 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,441,340. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Patrick Pacious sold 10,025 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.37, for a total transaction of $1,206,709.25. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 404,666 shares in the company, valued at $48,709,646.42. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 64,245 shares of company stock worth $8,746,500 in the last ninety days. 24.02% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Choice Hotels International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $150.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered shares of Choice Hotels International from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and set a $120.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $138.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $126.00 to $125.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Choice Hotels International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Three 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Choice Hotels International presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $128.70.

Choice Hotels International Price Performance

Shares of CHH stock opened at $144.91 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $6.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 177.75, a current ratio of 0.71 and a quick ratio of 0.99. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $108.91 and a 1-year high of $149.75. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $132.45 and a two-hundred day moving average of $124.63.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last posted its quarterly 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. Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 16.27% and a negative return on equity of 659.01%. The business had revenue of $428.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $432.62 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.82 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 6.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 1st were given a $0.2875 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.79%. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.03%.

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.