Short Interest in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) Rises By 8.8%

Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH - Get Free Report) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 5,450,000 shares, an increase of 8.8% from the January 15th total of 5,010,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 303,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 18.0 days. Approximately 20.8% of the company's shares are short sold.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $138.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $134.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $136.58.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 81.4% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 399 shares of the company's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 30.3% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 370 shares of the company's stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Choice Hotels International during the third quarter worth about $55,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 55.8% during the fourth quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 430 shares of the company's stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ boosted its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 836.2% during the fourth 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. 65.57% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Choice Hotels International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CHH traded down $1.76 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $150.53. 560,250 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 359,060. The stock has a market cap of $7.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.84, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.23. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $145.10 and a 200 day simple moving average of $138.38. Choice Hotels International has a 1-year low of $108.91 and a 1-year high of $157.86.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $389.77 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $374.24 million. Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 16.27% and a negative return on equity of 659.01%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Choice Hotels International will post 6.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.2875 per share. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 2nd. Choice Hotels International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.03%.

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.