Raymond James Financial Inc. Buys New Position in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 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 approximately 0.72% of Choice Hotels International at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of CHH. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its stake in Choice Hotels International by 30.3% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 370 shares of the company's stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International in the third quarter worth about $55,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 55.8% during the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 430 shares of the company's stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $62,000. Finally, Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ lifted its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 836.2% in the 4th quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 440 shares of the company's stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 393 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.57% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on CHH. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Choice Hotels International from a "sell" rating to a "buy" rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $141.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $131.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. StockNews.com cut Choice Hotels International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 15th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Choice Hotels International from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $132.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, March 24th. Finally, Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $139.15.

Insider Buying and Selling at Choice Hotels International

In other news, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.40, for a total transaction of $257,032.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 32,014 shares in the company, valued at $4,622,821.60. This trade represents a 5.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.30, for a total transaction 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 approximately $10,219,797.90. This trade represents a 4.83 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 24.02% of the company's stock.

Choice Hotels International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CHH traded up $0.44 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $123.96. The company's stock had a trading volume of 211,252 shares, compared to its average volume of 405,690. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.79 billion, a PE ratio of 19.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.08. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $109.22 and a 52 week high of $157.86. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $135.15 and a two-hundred day moving average of $140.41.

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

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st were issued a dividend of $0.2875 per share. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.93%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 1st. Choice Hotels International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.