Morgan Stanley Reiterates "Underweight" Rating for Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH)

Morgan Stanley reissued their underweight rating on shares of Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH - Free Report) in a report issued on Tuesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The firm currently has a $129.00 price target on the stock, down from their prior price target of $145.00.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Susquehanna lifted their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. StockNews.com raised Choice Hotels International from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Choice Hotels International from $118.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $123.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Choice Hotels International from $150.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $133.27.

Choice Hotels International Trading Down 1.4 %

Shares of CHH traded down $1.99 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $140.87. 406,621 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 328,165. Choice Hotels International has a 12 month low of $108.91 and a 12 month high of $153.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 177.75, a current ratio of 0.71 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The stock has a market cap of $6.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.99, a P/E/G ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.24. The stock's 50-day moving average is $144.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $133.83.

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

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.2875 per share. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 2nd. Choice Hotels International's payout ratio is 22.03%.

Insider Activity at Choice Hotels International

In related news, CEO Patrick Pacious sold 7,192 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.95, for a total value of $1,042,480.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 404,666 shares in the company, valued at approximately $58,656,336.70. The trade was a 1.75 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 24.02% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Choice Hotels International

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CHH. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 77.2% during the 2nd quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 4,105,796 shares of the company's stock valued at $488,590,000 after acquiring an additional 1,788,563 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 4.1% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 675,142 shares of the company's stock valued at $80,340,000 after purchasing an additional 26,289 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 38.5% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 402,293 shares of the company's stock valued at $52,419,000 after purchasing an additional 111,903 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates increased its stake in Choice Hotels International by 45.4% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 364,983 shares of the company's stock worth $47,557,000 after buying an additional 113,951 shares during the period. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Choice Hotels International by 51.5% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 266,950 shares of the company's stock worth $31,767,000 after buying an additional 90,765 shares during the period. 65.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Choice Hotels International

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.