Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) Stake Trimmed by Natixis Advisors LLC

Natixis Advisors LLC trimmed its stake in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH - Free Report) by 2.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 157,969 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,830 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.33% of Choice Hotels International worth $20,583,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in CHH. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its stake in Choice Hotels International by 144.4% in the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 198 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in Choice Hotels International by 307.4% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 220 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd boosted its position in Choice Hotels International by 163.2% in the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 229 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Choice Hotels International by 129.4% during the 2nd quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 250 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares during the period. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. increased its stake in Choice Hotels International by 1,146.9% in the 2nd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 399 shares of the company's stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 367 shares during the last quarter. 65.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on CHH. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Choice Hotels International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $150.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $113.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Choice Hotels International from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Choice Hotels International from $105.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Three equities research 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $130.00.

Choice Hotels International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CHH traded up $0.14 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $146.12. 70,144 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 477,328. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 177.75, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.85 billion, a PE ratio of 27.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.24. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $108.91 and a 12 month high of $149.75. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $134.87 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $125.81.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 company's revenue for the quarter was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.82 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 6.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In other Choice Hotels International news, CEO Patrick Pacious sold 10,025 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 404,666 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,709,646.42. The trade was a 2.42 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Patrick Cimerola sold 1,714 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total value of $231,390.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 18,084 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,441,340. The trade was a 8.66 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 71,437 shares of company stock worth $9,788,980 over the last three months. 24.02% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.