Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) Short Interest Down 9.3% in November

Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant drop in short interest in the month of November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 4,990,000 shares, a drop of 9.3% from the October 31st total of 5,500,000 shares. Approximately 19.5% of the company's shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 321,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 15.5 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $105.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $138.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Truist Financial decreased their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $144.00 to $134.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. Barclays upped their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $112.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Choice Hotels International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $150.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $130.00.

Choice Hotels International Trading Down 0.4 %

NYSE CHH traded down $0.65 on Monday, reaching $150.59. 191,201 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 470,014. Choice Hotels International has a fifty-two week low of $108.91 and a fifty-two week high of $153.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.24. The business's fifty day moving average price is $139.24 and its 200 day moving average price is $127.79. The company has a current ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 177.75.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.31. The firm had revenue of $428.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $432.62 million. Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 16.27% and a negative return on equity of 659.01%. Choice Hotels International's revenue was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.82 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Choice Hotels International will post 6.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st were paid a dividend of $0.2875 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.76%. Choice Hotels International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.03%.

Insider Transactions at Choice Hotels International

In other Choice Hotels International news, insider Patrick Cimerola sold 1,714 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total value of $231,390.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 18,084 shares in the company, valued at $2,441,340. This trade represents a 8.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Patrick Pacious sold 10,025 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.37, for a total value of $1,206,709.25. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 404,666 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $48,709,646.42. This represents a 2.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 71,437 shares of company stock valued at $9,788,980. 24.02% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Choice Hotels International

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 161.3% in the 2nd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 10,341 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,231,000 after buying an additional 6,384 shares during the period. &PARTNERS purchased a new stake in Choice Hotels International in the second quarter valued at approximately $366,000. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale acquired a new position in Choice Hotels International during the first quarter worth $1,089,000. Erste Asset Management GmbH acquired a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International in the third quarter valued at $19,545,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International in the third quarter valued at $42,280,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.57% of the company's stock.

Choice Hotels International Company 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.