Scott E. Oaksmith Sells 1,780 Shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) Stock

Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 directly 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link.

Choice Hotels International Stock Performance

Shares of CHH traded down $1.45 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $142.96. 140,706 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 432,688. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $108.91 and a 1-year high of $157.86. The stock has a market cap of $6.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a 50 day moving average of $145.61 and a 200-day moving average of $139.78.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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. Research analysts anticipate that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 7.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

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 issued a dividend of $0.2875 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.80%. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.46%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Choice Hotels International

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Choice Hotels International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,109,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 10.5% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 99,625 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,145,000 after purchasing an additional 9,474 shares in the last quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 36.0% in the 4th quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 60,740 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,624,000 after purchasing an additional 16,067 shares in the last quarter. Sophron Capital Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International in the 4th quarter valued at $7,736,000. Finally, Redwood Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International in the 4th quarter valued at $5,123,000. 65.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CHH has been the subject of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $138.00 to $137.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $113.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $134.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased 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 analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Choice Hotels International currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $140.67.

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.