Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) Shares Purchased by Sciencast Management LP

Sciencast Management LP increased its position in shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH - Free Report) by 82.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,678 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,014 shares during the period. Sciencast Management LP's holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $948,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of CHH. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International during the fourth quarter worth $48,201,000. Erste Asset Management GmbH acquired a new position in Choice Hotels International during the 3rd quarter worth $19,545,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 38.5% during the 3rd 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. Stifel Financial Corp raised its position in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas purchased a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $2,691,000. 65.57% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CHH has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of Choice Hotels International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 15th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $150.00 to $152.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Choice Hotels International from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Choice Hotels International from $118.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $140.62.

Remove Ads

Insider Buying and Selling at Choice Hotels International

In other Choice Hotels International news, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.40, for a total value of $257,032.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 68,913 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,219,797.90. This trade represents a 4.83 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 24.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Choice Hotels International Stock Up 1.1 %

CHH traded up $1.50 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $132.97. 187,659 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 408,413. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.34, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.25. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $109.22 and a 1-year high of $157.86. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $143.70 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $140.63.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $389.77 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $374.24 million. Analysts predict that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 7.07 EPS for the current year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a $0.2875 dividend. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. 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.