The Goldman Sachs Group Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) Stock

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH - Free Report) had its price target upped by The Goldman Sachs Group from $105.00 to $118.00 in a report released on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a sell rating on the stock.

CHH has been the subject of a number of other research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered Choice Hotels International from a "neutral" rating to an "underweight" rating and set a $120.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Friday, July 19th. StockNews.com raised shares of Choice Hotels International from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. UBS Group lowered their price target on Choice Hotels International from $126.00 to $125.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 9th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $112.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $138.00 price target on shares of Choice Hotels International in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Choice Hotels International has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $128.10.

Choice Hotels International Stock Performance

CHH stock traded down $0.72 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $139.53. The company had a trading volume of 434,735 shares, compared to its average volume of 481,503. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $131.17 and a 200-day moving average price of $123.99. Choice Hotels International has a 1-year low of $108.91 and a 1-year high of $149.75. The firm has a market cap of $6.59 billion, a PE ratio of 29.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 177.75.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.92 by $0.31. Choice Hotels International had a negative return on equity of 3,953.67% and a net margin of 15.42%. The company had revenue of $428.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $432.62 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.82 earnings per share. Choice Hotels International's quarterly revenue was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Choice Hotels International will post 6.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st were issued a $0.2875 dividend. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 1st. Choice Hotels International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.91%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Choice Hotels International

In other Choice Hotels International news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 9,138 shares of Choice Hotels International stock in a transaction on Friday, October 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.88, for a total value of $1,232,533.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 68,509 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,240,493.92. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 9,138 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.88, for a total transaction of $1,232,533.44. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 68,509 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,240,493.92. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Simone Wu sold 7,840 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.08, for a total transaction of $1,019,827.20. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 45,669 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,940,623.52. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 37,429 shares of company stock worth $4,866,493 over the last three months. Company insiders own 24.02% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Choice Hotels International

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 144.4% during the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 198 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in Choice Hotels International by 307.4% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 220 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd raised its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 163.2% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 229 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the period. Tortoise Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Choice Hotels International by 129.4% in the second quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 250 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 1,146.9% in the second quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 399 shares of the company's stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 367 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 65.57% of the company's stock.

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.