Janus Henderson Group PLC Lowers Stock Position in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Janus Henderson Group PLC reduced its stake in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH - Free Report) by 26.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 11,677 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,200 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC's holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $1,522,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 307.4% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 220 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the period. Tortoise Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 129.4% in the 2nd quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 250 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. increased its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 1,146.9% during the second quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 399 shares of the company's stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 367 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International during the second quarter valued at approximately $56,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Choice Hotels International in the second quarter worth $69,000. Institutional investors own 65.57% of the company's stock.

Choice Hotels International Stock Performance

NYSE:CHH traded up $0.05 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $146.45. The company's stock had a trading volume of 140,161 shares, compared to its average volume of 461,228. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $142.50 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $129.86. The company has a current ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 177.75. The stock has a market cap of $6.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.06, a PEG ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.23. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $108.91 and a 12-month high of $153.81.

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

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.2875 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.79%. Choice Hotels International's payout ratio is 22.03%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on CHH shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $113.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Choice Hotels International in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. They issued an "underweight" rating and a $133.00 target price on the stock. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $138.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Barclays upped their price target on Choice Hotels International from $123.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $118.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $134.18.

Insider Transactions at Choice Hotels International

In other Choice Hotels International news, SVP Simone Wu sold 7,840 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.08, for a total transaction of $1,019,827.20. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 45,669 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,940,623.52. This represents a 14.65 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Patrick Pacious sold 7,192 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 404,666 shares in the company, valued at $58,656,336.70. The trade was a 1.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 61,412 shares of company stock worth $8,582,271 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 24.02% of the company's stock.

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.