Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Jefferies Financial Group Analyst Says

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) had its price target hoisted by equities researchers at Jefferies Financial Group from $150.00 to $152.00 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “hold” rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 6.20% from the company’s previous close.

CHH has been the subject of several other reports. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Choice Hotels International from $138.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on Choice Hotels International from $113.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Choice Hotels International from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Choice Hotels International from $118.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Choice Hotels International in a report on Thursday, December 5th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $133.00 target price for the company. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $134.36.

Choice Hotels International Stock Performance

CHH traded up $1.44 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $143.13. The stock had a trading volume of 118,670 shares, compared to its average volume of 452,793. The stock has a market cap of $6.71 billion, a PE ratio of 27.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.23. Choice Hotels International has a 1 year low of $108.91 and a 1 year high of $153.81. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 177.75. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $144.64 and its 200 day simple moving average is $132.42.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 company had revenue of $428.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $432.62 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.82 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Choice Hotels International will post 6.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Patrick Pacious sold 26,816 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.69, for a total value of $3,880,007.04. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 404,666 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $58,551,123.54. This represents a 6.21 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 9,138 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.88, for a total transaction of $1,232,533.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 68,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,240,493.92. This represents a 11.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 53,572 shares of company stock worth $7,562,444. 24.02% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Choice Hotels International

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CHH. Tortoise Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 129.4% in the second quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 250 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 81.4% in 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. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International during the third quarter worth about $55,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in Choice Hotels International in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $63,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International in the second quarter worth about $69,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

About Choice Hotels International

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.