Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) Price Target Cut to $133.00 by Analysts at Jefferies Financial Group

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH - Free Report) had its target price cut by Jefferies Financial Group from $154.00 to $133.00 in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a hold rating on the stock.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on the company. Truist Financial increased their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $136.00 to $144.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $131.00 to $139.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Choice Hotels International from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $132.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Choice Hotels International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 15th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $139.15.

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Choice Hotels International Price Performance

NYSE:CHH traded up $0.92 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $125.79. The stock had a trading volume of 277,555 shares, compared to its average volume of 407,662. The stock has a market cap of $5.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.19, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.08. The business's 50 day moving average is $137.95 and its 200 day moving average is $140.62. Choice Hotels International has a fifty-two week low of $109.22 and a fifty-two week high of $157.86.

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

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.2875 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.91%. Choice Hotels International's dividend payout ratio is currently 18.46%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.40, for a total value of $257,032.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 32,014 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,622,821.60. This represents a 5.27 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.30, for a total value of $519,050.00. Following the transaction, 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 24.02% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Choice Hotels International

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Choice Hotels International by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,423,373 shares of the company's stock valued at $344,070,000 after buying an additional 8,362 shares in the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp raised its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 949,586 shares of the company's stock valued at $134,822,000 after acquiring an additional 9,490 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 38.5% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 402,293 shares of the company's stock worth $52,419,000 after acquiring an additional 111,903 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Choice Hotels International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $48,201,000. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. increased its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 69.8% during the 4th quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 292,836 shares of the company's stock valued at $41,577,000 after purchasing an additional 120,376 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.57% of the company's stock.

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.