Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT Grows Stock Position in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT lifted its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 6.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 4,275 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 273 shares during the period. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT’s holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $607,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of CHH. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in Choice Hotels International by 81.4% during the 3rd 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 $55,000. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International during the third quarter valued at $63,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 12.9% in the 3rd quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 843 shares of the company’s stock valued at $110,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Choice Hotels International in the 4th quarter worth $125,000. 65.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target 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. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $129.00 price target (down previously from $145.00) on shares of Choice Hotels International in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective 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. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective 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. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price 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. Five research 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $136.33.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Patrick Pacious sold 7,192 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.95, for a total value of $1,042,480.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 404,666 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $58,656,336.70. This trade represents a 1.75 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 24.02% of the company’s stock.

Choice Hotels International Stock Up 1.0 %

NYSE:CHH opened at $150.42 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.06 billion, a PE ratio of 28.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.23. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $108.91 and a 52 week high of $153.81. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $144.56 and its 200-day moving average price is $136.40.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last announced its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.92 by $0.31. The firm had revenue of $428.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $432.62 million. Choice Hotels International had a negative return on equity of 659.01% and a net margin of 16.27%. The business’s revenue was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.82 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 6.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders 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 was Thursday, January 2nd. Choice Hotels International’s payout ratio is 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.