JPMorgan Chase & Co. Sells 42,687 Shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut its position in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH - Free Report) by 10.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 359,606 shares of the company's stock after selling 42,687 shares during the quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned approximately 0.77% of Choice Hotels International worth $51,057,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Sanctuary Advisors LLC grew its stake in Choice Hotels International by 33.4% in the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 16,834 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,193,000 after buying an additional 4,219 shares during the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew its stake in Choice Hotels International by 30.1% in the 3rd quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 14,889 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,940,000 after buying an additional 3,446 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Choice Hotels International by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 279,149 shares of the company's stock worth $39,634,000 after purchasing an additional 2,725 shares during the last quarter. Twelve Points Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Choice Hotels International in the 4th quarter worth $879,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in Choice Hotels International in the 4th quarter worth $2,258,000. 65.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Choice Hotels International

In other news, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.40, for a total transaction of $257,032.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 32,014 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,622,821.60. The trade was a 5.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 3,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.30, for a total value of $519,050.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly 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.

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Choice Hotels International Trading Down 3.4 %

NYSE CHH traded down $4.38 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $124.51. The company's stock had a trading volume of 34,463 shares, compared to its average volume of 409,044. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $138.98 and its 200 day simple moving average is $140.67. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $109.22 and a twelve month high of $157.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.99, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.08.

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

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.92%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Choice Hotels International's dividend payout ratio is 18.46%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on CHH. Susquehanna raised their price target 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. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Choice Hotels International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 15th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $139.15.

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.