KBC Group NV Purchases 20,530 Shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

KBC Group NV grew its stake in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH - Free Report) by 3,087.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,195 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 20,530 shares during the period. KBC Group NV's holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $3,009,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 5.9% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 6,586 shares of the company's stock valued at $791,000 after acquiring an additional 365 shares in the last quarter. Algert Global LLC acquired a new position in Choice Hotels International in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $387,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International during the second quarter valued at $1,502,000. Thrive Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International during the third quarter worth $242,000. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 47.3% in the third quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 9,651 shares of the company's stock worth $1,258,000 after purchasing an additional 3,100 shares during the last quarter. 65.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Choice Hotels International

In other Choice Hotels International news, CEO Patrick Pacious sold 26,816 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.69, for a total value of $3,880,007.04. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 404,666 shares of the company's stock, valued at $58,551,123.54. This trade represents a 6.21 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 24.02% of the company's stock.

Choice Hotels International Stock Performance

Shares of Choice Hotels International stock traded down $0.46 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $147.19. 271,718 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 284,623. The company has a market capitalization of $6.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $144.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $136.04. 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 announced its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.31. The firm had revenue of $428.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.82 EPS. Analysts predict that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 6.84 EPS for the current year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd were paid a $0.2875 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.78%. Choice Hotels International's payout ratio is 22.03%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CHH has been the topic of several analyst reports. Bank of America upped their target price on Choice Hotels International from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. 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. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $134.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. 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 report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $138.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Choice Hotels International currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $135.92.

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.