Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) Raised to “Neutral” at Redburn Atlantic

Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) from a sell rating to a neutral rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. They currently have $132.00 price objective on the stock.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on CHH. StockNews.com cut shares of Choice Hotels International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 15th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Choice Hotels International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Choice Hotels International from $118.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Choice Hotels International from $131.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Choice Hotels International has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $140.62.

Choice Hotels International Stock Performance

Shares of CHH stock opened at $132.95 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $143.36 and a 200 day moving average price of $140.65. Choice Hotels International has a 52-week low of $109.22 and a 52-week high of $157.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.25.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $389.77 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $374.24 million. Choice Hotels International had a negative return on equity of 472.31% and a net margin of 18.91%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Choice Hotels International will post 7.07 EPS for the current year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a $0.2875 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.87%. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.46%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 68,913 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,219,797.90. This trade represents a 4.83 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.40, for a total value of $257,032.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 32,014 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,622,821.60. This trade represents a 5.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 24.02% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Choice Hotels International

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CHH. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC raised its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 30.3% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 370 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Choice Hotels International during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Choice Hotels International by 55.8% during the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 430 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ raised its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 836.2% in the fourth quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 440 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,000 after buying an additional 393 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International during the fourth quarter worth $62,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.