Raymond James Financial Inc. Invests $48.20 Million in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 339,489 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $48,201,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned about 0.72% of Choice Hotels International at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Boston Trust Walden Corp grew its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 949,586 shares of the company's stock worth $134,822,000 after acquiring an additional 9,490 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in Choice Hotels International by 38.5% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 402,293 shares of the company's stock worth $52,419,000 after purchasing an additional 111,903 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Choice Hotels International by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 279,149 shares of the company's stock worth $39,634,000 after purchasing an additional 2,725 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH bought a new position in Choice Hotels International in the third quarter worth $19,545,000. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp lifted its position in Choice Hotels International by 31.4% in the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 143,783 shares of the company's stock worth $18,735,000 after purchasing an additional 34,396 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.57% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on CHH. Truist Financial raised their target price on Choice Hotels International from $134.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Choice Hotels International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Choice Hotels International from $150.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Choice Hotels International from $131.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Choice Hotels International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $140.67.

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Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of Choice Hotels International stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.30, for a total value of $519,050.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 68,913 shares in the company, valued at $10,219,797.90. This trade represents a 4.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of Choice Hotels International stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 32,014 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,622,821.60. The trade was a 5.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 24.02% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Choice Hotels International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:CHH opened at $133.28 on Wednesday. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $109.22 and a twelve month high of $157.86. The firm has a market cap of $6.23 billion, a PE ratio of 21.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.25. The business has a fifty day moving average of $145.68 and a 200-day moving average of $140.38.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $374.24 million. On average, analysts anticipate that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 7.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a $0.2875 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.86%. Choice Hotels International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.46%.

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.

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