Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) Shares Purchased by Markel Group Inc.

Markel Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH - Free Report) by 4.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 115,500 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,000 shares during the period. Markel Group Inc. owned about 0.24% of Choice Hotels International worth $15,050,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of CHH. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 77.2% in the second quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 4,105,796 shares of the company's stock worth $488,590,000 after acquiring an additional 1,788,563 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 7.7% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,738,088 shares of the company's stock valued at $345,957,000 after buying an additional 195,956 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp boosted its position in Choice Hotels International by 0.9% during the second quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 941,560 shares of the company's stock worth $112,046,000 after acquiring an additional 8,033 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 4.1% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 675,142 shares of the company's stock valued at $80,340,000 after acquiring an additional 26,289 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James & Associates raised its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 45.4% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 364,983 shares of the company's stock valued at $47,557,000 after acquiring an additional 113,951 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.57% of the company's stock.

Choice Hotels International Stock Up 0.6 %

Choice Hotels International stock traded up $0.93 during trading on Friday, reaching $144.91. 302,238 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 371,247. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $108.91 and a 52-week high of $149.75. The firm has a market cap of $6.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.76, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 177.75, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 0.71. The company's 50-day moving average is $132.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $124.63.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.31. The company had revenue of $428.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $432.62 million. Choice Hotels International had a negative return on equity of 659.01% and a net margin of 16.27%. The company's revenue was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.82 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 6.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st were paid a $0.2875 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.79%. Choice Hotels International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.03%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on CHH. StockNews.com upgraded Choice Hotels International from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Choice Hotels International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $150.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $105.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday. Susquehanna upped their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $138.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday. Three 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $128.70.

Insider Activity

In other Choice Hotels International news, CEO Patrick Pacious sold 10,025 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.37, for a total value of $1,206,709.25. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 404,666 shares in the company, valued at $48,709,646.42. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Choice Hotels International news, CEO Patrick Pacious sold 10,025 shares of Choice Hotels International stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.37, for a total transaction of $1,206,709.25. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 404,666 shares in the company, valued at $48,709,646.42. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Patrick Cimerola sold 1,714 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total transaction of $231,390.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 18,084 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,441,340. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 64,245 shares of company stock worth $8,746,500. 24.02% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.