Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC Sells 360,074 Shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC decreased its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH - Free Report) by 8.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,956,244 shares of the company's stock after selling 360,074 shares during the period. Choice Hotels International makes up 1.3% of Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC owned about 8.43% of Choice Hotels International worth $561,708,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 30.3% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 370 shares of the company's stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the period. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International during the 3rd quarter valued at $55,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 55.8% in the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 430 shares of the company's stock worth $61,000 after buying an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International in the fourth quarter valued at $62,000. Finally, Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ boosted its stake in Choice Hotels International by 836.2% during the fourth quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 440 shares of the company's stock valued at $62,000 after buying an additional 393 shares in the last quarter. 65.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Choice Hotels International Stock Up 1.7 %

Shares of CHH traded up $2.05 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $124.51. The company's stock had a trading volume of 425,460 shares, compared to its average volume of 405,221. The firm has a market cap of $5.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a 50 day moving average of $133.60 and a two-hundred day moving average of $140.10. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $109.22 and a 1-year high of $157.86.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $389.77 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $374.24 million. As a group, analysts forecast that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 7.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at Choice Hotels International

In other news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.30, for a total transaction of $519,050.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 68,913 shares in the company, valued at $10,219,797.90. This represents a 4.83 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of Choice Hotels International 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 24.02% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on CHH. Susquehanna upped their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $130.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Jefferies Financial Group cut 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. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target 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. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Choice Hotels International from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $132.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Choice Hotels International from a "sell" rating to a "buy" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $141.00 to $138.00 in a report on Monday, April 14th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $135.69.

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.