Bridgewater Associates LP Reduces Stake in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Bridgewater Associates LP reduced its position in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH - Free Report) by 70.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,400 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,837 shares during the quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP's holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $341,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of CHH. Guggenheim Capital LLC bought a new stake in Choice Hotels International in the fourth quarter worth approximately $309,000. XTX Topco Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International in the 4th quarter valued at $737,000. CreativeOne Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International in the 4th quarter worth $200,000. Mariner LLC raised its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 19.4% during the fourth quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 2,697 shares of the company's stock worth $383,000 after buying an additional 439 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 56.9% in the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 17,902 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,541,000 after buying an additional 6,493 shares in the last quarter. 65.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Choice Hotels International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CHH traded up $2.05 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $124.51. 425,460 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 405,516. The company has a 50-day moving average of $134.03 and a 200-day moving average of $140.21. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $109.22 and a 52-week high of $157.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.08.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $389.77 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $374.24 million. Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 18.91% and a negative return on equity of 472.31%. Analysts expect that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 7.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st were issued a dividend of $0.2875 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.92%. Choice Hotels International's payout ratio is 18.46%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on CHH. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Choice Hotels International from a "sell" rating to a "buy" rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $141.00 to $138.00 in a report on Monday, April 14th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $154.00 to $133.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Choice Hotels International from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $132.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on Choice Hotels International from $132.00 to $111.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Choice Hotels International has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $135.69.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Choice Hotels International news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of Choice Hotels International stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.30, for a total transaction of $519,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 68,913 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,219,797.90. The trade was a 4.83 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.40, for a total transaction of $257,032.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 32,014 shares in the company, valued at $4,622,821.60. This trade represents a 5.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 24.02% of the company's stock.

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.