Choice Hotels International, Inc. (CHH) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $0.29 on April 16th

Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) declared a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, February 26th, RTT News reports. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a dividend of 0.2875 per share on Wednesday, April 16th. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st.

Choice Hotels International has increased its dividend by an average of 18.7% per year over the last three years. Choice Hotels International has a payout ratio of 14.9% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect Choice Hotels International to earn $7.41 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.15 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 15.5%.

Choice Hotels International Stock Down 1.6 %

Shares of CHH stock opened at $131.35 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $6.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.08, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.25. Choice Hotels International has a 12 month low of $109.22 and a 12 month high of $157.86. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $142.97 and a 200 day moving average price of $140.80.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on CHH shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Choice Hotels International from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Bank of America increased their target price on Choice Hotels International from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Choice Hotels International from $118.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Susquehanna increased their price target 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. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $140.62.

Insider Buying and Selling

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