Jane Street Group LLC Sells 20,650 Shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Jane Street Group LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH - Free Report) by 44.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 26,146 shares of the company's stock after selling 20,650 shares during the quarter. Jane Street Group LLC owned approximately 0.06% of Choice Hotels International worth $3,407,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of CHH. Stifel Financial Corp increased its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 31.4% during the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 143,783 shares of the company's stock worth $18,735,000 after acquiring an additional 34,396 shares during the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International in the third quarter valued at $368,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International in the third quarter valued at about $63,000. Atom Investors LP acquired a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International during the 3rd quarter worth about $698,000. Finally, Aureus Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International during the 3rd quarter worth about $218,000. Institutional investors own 65.57% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Choice Hotels International news, CEO Patrick Pacious sold 7,192 shares of Choice Hotels International stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.95, for a total transaction of $1,042,480.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 404,666 shares of the company's stock, 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 can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 9,138 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.88, for a total value of $1,232,533.44. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 68,509 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,240,493.92. The trade was a 11.77 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 53,572 shares of company stock valued at $7,562,444. 24.02% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Choice Hotels International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $150.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Choice Hotels International from $138.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. StockNews.com upgraded Choice Hotels International from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $123.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Choice Hotels International in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. They set an "underweight" rating and a $133.00 price target on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Choice Hotels International presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $134.18.

Choice Hotels International Price Performance

NYSE CHH traded up $0.88 during trading on Friday, hitting $141.58. 695,000 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 458,885. The company has a market cap of $6.64 billion, a PE ratio of 27.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.23. 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, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $108.91 and a fifty-two week high of $153.81. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $143.43 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $130.61.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 net margin of 16.27% and a negative return on equity of 659.01%. The firm's revenue was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.82 EPS. Research analysts expect that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 6.84 EPS for the current year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be given a $0.2875 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.81%. Choice Hotels International's dividend payout ratio is presently 22.03%.

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.