Principal Financial Group Inc. Lowers Holdings in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Principal Financial Group Inc. lowered its stake in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH - Free Report) by 33.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 53,268 shares of the company's stock after selling 27,010 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.11% of Choice Hotels International worth $6,941,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC increased its position in Choice Hotels International by 77.2% during 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 buying an additional 1,788,563 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 4.1% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 675,142 shares of the company's stock valued at $80,340,000 after purchasing an additional 26,289 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates grew its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 45.4% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 364,983 shares of the company's stock worth $47,557,000 after purchasing an additional 113,951 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 51.5% during the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 266,950 shares of the company's stock worth $31,767,000 after buying an additional 90,765 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC raised its position in Choice Hotels International by 917.2% in the 2nd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 161,799 shares of the company's stock valued at $19,254,000 after purchasing an additional 145,893 shares during the last quarter. 65.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Choice Hotels International Stock Performance

NYSE CHH traded up $0.76 on Wednesday, hitting $141.98. 296,918 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 452,793. 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 $6.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.20, 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. The business's fifty day moving average is $144.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $132.35.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.92 by $0.31. The business had revenue of $428.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $432.62 million. Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 16.27% and a negative return on equity of 659.01%. Choice Hotels International's revenue was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.82 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 6.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.2875 per share. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 2nd. Choice Hotels International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.03%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on Choice Hotels International from $113.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Barclays raised their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $123.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Robert W. Baird upped 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, November 6th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered 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. Finally, Susquehanna increased 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. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $134.18.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 9,138 shares of Choice Hotels International stock in a transaction on Friday, October 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.88, for a total transaction of $1,232,533.44. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 68,509 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,240,493.92. The trade was a 11.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Patrick Pacious sold 26,816 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 404,666 shares of the company's stock, valued at $58,551,123.54. The trade was a 6.21 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 53,572 shares of company stock worth $7,562,444. 24.02% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Choice Hotels International 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.