Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH - Free Report) by 0.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,423,373 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 8,362 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 5.17% of Choice Hotels International worth $344,070,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC grew its stake in Choice Hotels International by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 12,944 shares of the company's stock worth $1,838,000 after buying an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 2,112 shares of the company's stock valued at $300,000 after buying an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 55.8% in the fourth quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 430 shares of the company's stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the period. Norden Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 4,500 shares of the company's stock worth $639,000 after acquiring an additional 223 shares during the period. Finally, Xponance Inc. lifted its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 4,961 shares of the company's stock worth $704,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares during the period. 65.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Susquehanna increased their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $130.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target 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. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $150.00 to $152.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Choice Hotels International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 15th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $140.62.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on CHH
Choice Hotels International Stock Performance
Shares of NYSE CHH traded down $1.61 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $117.38. 532,281 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 411,353. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a one year low of $109.22 and a one year high of $157.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.84, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.08. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $139.72 and a two-hundred day moving average of $140.76.
Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $389.77 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $374.24 million. Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 18.91% and a negative return on equity of 472.31%. Equities analysts forecast that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 7.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.2875 per share. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Choice Hotels International's dividend payout ratio is presently 18.46%.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other news, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.30, for a total value of $519,050.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 24.02% of the company's stock.
About Choice Hotels International
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Free Report)
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.
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