Erste Asset Management GmbH Buys Shares of 150,000 Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Erste Asset Management GmbH purchased a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 150,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,545,000. Erste Asset Management GmbH owned approximately 0.32% of Choice Hotels International at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in Choice Hotels International by 307.4% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 220 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the period. Tortoise Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 129.4% during the second quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 250 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. grew its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 1,146.9% in the second quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 399 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 367 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in Choice Hotels International in the second quarter valued at $56,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC purchased a new position in Choice Hotels International during the second quarter worth about $69,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Choice Hotels International from $105.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. StockNews.com raised shares of Choice Hotels International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $112.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Choice Hotels International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $150.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Choice Hotels International from $138.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $130.00.

Insider Activity at Choice Hotels International

In other Choice Hotels International news, SVP Simone Wu sold 7,840 shares of Choice Hotels International stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.08, for a total transaction of $1,019,827.20. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 45,669 shares in the company, valued at $5,940,623.52. The trade was a 14.65 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Robert J. Mcdowell sold 8,712 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.99, for a total value of $1,176,032.88. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 38,502 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,197,384.98. This trade represents a 18.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 71,437 shares of company stock valued at $9,788,980. Corporate insiders own 24.02% of the company’s stock.

Choice Hotels International Trading Up 0.4 %

NYSE:CHH opened at $151.24 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $139.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $127.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.09 billion, a PE ratio of 28.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.24. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $108.91 and a 12 month high of $153.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 177.75, a current ratio of 0.71 and a quick ratio of 0.71.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $428.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $432.62 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.82 EPS. Choice Hotels International’s revenue for the quarter was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 6.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 1st were issued a dividend of $0.2875 per share. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.76%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 1st. Choice Hotels International’s payout ratio is 22.03%.

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.