Natixis Advisors LLC Sells 3,059 Shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Natixis Advisors LLC reduced its position in shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 1.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 154,910 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,059 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC owned 0.33% of Choice Hotels International worth $21,994,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in CHH. Anchor Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International during the third quarter valued at about $55,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC raised its position in Choice Hotels International by 55.8% in the fourth quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 430 shares of the company’s stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares during the period. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ raised its position in 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 acquiring an additional 393 shares during the period. Quarry LP bought a new stake in Choice Hotels International in the third quarter worth about $63,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its position in Choice Hotels International by 165.5% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 600 shares of the company’s stock worth $85,000 after acquiring an additional 374 shares during the period. 65.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Choice Hotels International Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE:CHH opened at $132.48 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $144.72 and a 200 day moving average of $140.48. The stock has a market cap of $6.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.25. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $109.22 and a 12 month high of $157.86.

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

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.2875 per share. 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 is currently 18.46%.

Insider Activity at Choice Hotels International

In other Choice Hotels International news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were 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. The trade was a 4.83 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 32,014 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,622,821.60. This represents a 5.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 24.02% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on CHH shares. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $150.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $118.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $131.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Susquehanna boosted 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. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently 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.