Farringdon Capital Ltd. Purchases New Stake in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Farringdon Capital Ltd. bought a new stake in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 4,385 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $623,000.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its stake in Choice Hotels International by 30.3% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 370 shares of the company's stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the period. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Choice Hotels International during the 3rd quarter worth $55,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings 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 during the period. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International during the 4th quarter worth $62,000. Finally, Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ raised its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 836.2% in the fourth quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 440 shares of the company's stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 393 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.57% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Choice Hotels International news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were 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. This trade represents a 4.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, 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 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 24.02% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Choice Hotels International Price Performance

Shares of CHH stock traded up $1.97 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $122.77. The company had a trading volume of 101,560 shares, compared to its average volume of 409,445. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $109.22 and a 52-week high of $157.86. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $134.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $140.34. The stock has a market cap of $5.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.71, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.08.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $389.77 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $374.24 million. Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 18.91% and a negative return on equity of 472.31%. Analysts anticipate that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 7.07 EPS for the current year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st were issued a $0.2875 dividend. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 1st. Choice Hotels International's payout ratio is currently 18.46%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays increased their target price on Choice Hotels International from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Choice Hotels International from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $132.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday, March 24th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Choice Hotels International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 15th. Truist Financial upped their price target on Choice Hotels International from $136.00 to $144.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Choice Hotels International from a "sell" rating to a "buy" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $141.00 to $138.00 in a report on Monday, April 14th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $137.31.

Choice Hotels International 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.