Swiss National Bank Sells 7,200 Shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Swiss National Bank decreased its position in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 11.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 56,367 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,200 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $7,345,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of CHH. Blue Trust Inc. lifted 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 valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the period. Tortoise Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 141 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. raised its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 1,146.9% in the second 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 period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International in the second quarter worth about $56,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International in the second quarter worth about $69,000. Institutional investors own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on CHH shares. StockNews.com raised Choice Hotels International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $138.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Barclays raised their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $112.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Susquehanna increased their target price on Choice Hotels International from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased 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. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Choice Hotels International presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $130.00.

Choice Hotels International Stock Performance

NYSE CHH opened at $152.95 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.17 billion, a PE ratio of 29.30, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.24. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $137.47 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $126.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 177.75, a current ratio of 0.71 and a quick ratio of 0.71. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $108.91 and a 1-year high of $153.81.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last released its quarterly 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 business had revenue of $428.00 million during 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.82 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 6.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st were issued a dividend of $0.2875 per share. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 1st. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Choice Hotels International

In other news, CEO Patrick Pacious sold 7,192 shares of Choice Hotels International stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 404,666 shares in the company, valued at approximately $58,656,336.70. The trade was a 1.75 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 9,138 shares of Choice Hotels International stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.88, for a total value of $1,232,533.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 68,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,240,493.92. This trade represents a 11.77 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 71,437 shares of company stock worth $9,788,980 in the last quarter. 24.02% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.