AGF Management Ltd. Has $2.46 Million Stake in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

AGF Management Ltd. decreased its stake in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 29.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,330 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,180 shares during the quarter. AGF Management Ltd.’s holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $2,461,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Boston Trust Walden Corp increased its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 949,586 shares of the company’s stock valued at $134,822,000 after acquiring an additional 9,490 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 38.5% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 402,293 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,419,000 after purchasing an additional 111,903 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Choice Hotels International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $48,201,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 279,149 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,634,000 after purchasing an additional 2,725 shares during the period. Finally, Erste Asset Management GmbH acquired a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International in the 3rd quarter valued at $19,545,000. Institutional investors own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

Choice Hotels International Price Performance

CHH opened at $128.02 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.98 billion, a PE ratio of 20.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.25. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $145.44 and a 200 day simple moving average of $140.31. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $109.22 and a 1 year high of $157.86.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $389.77 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $374.24 million. Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 18.91% and a negative return on equity of 472.31%. Equities analysts anticipate that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 7.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a $0.2875 dividend. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.90%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.46%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.30, for a total value of $519,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 68,913 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,219,797.90. This represents a 4.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.40, for a total transaction of $257,032.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 32,014 shares in the company, valued at $4,622,821.60. The trade was a 5.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 24.02% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CHH has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Susquehanna upped their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $130.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. StockNews.com lowered Choice Hotels International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $118.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $150.00 to $152.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $140.67.

Choice Hotels International 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.