Wells Fargo & Company Raises Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) Price Target to $138.00

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH - Free Report) had its price objective upped by Wells Fargo & Company from $133.00 to $138.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an underweight rating on the stock.

Several other research firms have also recently commented on CHH. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $118.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Choice Hotels International from $138.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Choice Hotels International from $150.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Choice Hotels International has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $136.33.

Choice Hotels International Stock Performance

Shares of CHH stock traded down $1.73 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $154.24. 264,110 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 318,401. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $144.67 and its 200 day simple moving average is $136.63. The company has a market capitalization of $7.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.23. Choice Hotels International has a fifty-two week low of $108.91 and a fifty-two week high of $156.25.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.31. Choice Hotels International had a negative return on equity of 659.01% and a net margin of 16.27%. The firm had revenue of $428.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $432.62 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.82 earnings per share. Choice Hotels International's quarterly revenue was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Choice Hotels International will post 6.84 EPS for the current year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd were issued a $0.2875 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.75%. Choice Hotels International's dividend payout ratio is 22.03%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. AlphaQuest LLC bought a new stake in Choice Hotels International during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $535,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International during the 4th quarter worth about $2,258,000. Callan Family Office LLC bought a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International in the fourth quarter valued at about $229,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Choice Hotels International during the fourth quarter worth about $48,201,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Choice Hotels International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,895,000. 65.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.