Proficio Capital Partners LLC Makes New $1.90 Million Investment in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 13,346 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,895,000.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in CHH. Erste Asset Management GmbH acquired a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $19,545,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased 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 valued at $52,419,000 after purchasing an additional 111,903 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp increased its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 31.4% in the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 143,783 shares of the company's stock valued at $18,735,000 after purchasing an additional 34,396 shares during the period. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas bought a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,691,000. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 3,087.2% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 21,195 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,009,000 after buying an additional 20,530 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.57% of the company's stock.

Choice Hotels International Stock Performance

Shares of CHH traded down $0.38 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $129.65. The company's stock had a trading volume of 583,744 shares, compared to its average volume of 408,486. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a one year low of $109.22 and a one year high of $157.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.06 billion, a PE ratio of 20.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.25. The stock's 50-day moving average is $143.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $140.48.

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

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a $0.2875 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.89%. Choice Hotels International's dividend payout ratio is 18.46%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CHH has been the subject of several recent research reports. Barclays boosted their price target on Choice Hotels International from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Choice Hotels International from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Choice Hotels International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Choice Hotels International from $118.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Choice Hotels International from $138.00 to $137.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Choice Hotels International currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $141.33.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.30, for a total value of $519,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 68,913 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,219,797.90. The trade was a 4.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 24.02% of the stock is 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.