Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) Rating Increased to Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report report published on Thursday morning.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on CHH. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Choice Hotels International from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Choice Hotels International from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $150.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Choice Hotels International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Choice Hotels International currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $139.92.

Choice Hotels International Stock Performance

Choice Hotels International stock opened at $143.07 on Thursday. Choice Hotels International has a 52 week low of $108.91 and a 52 week high of $157.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.69 billion, a PE ratio of 22.96, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.23. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $145.42 and its 200-day simple moving average is $139.05.

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 negative return on equity of 472.31% and a net margin of 18.91%. The company had revenue of $389.77 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $374.24 million. Research analysts forecast that Choice Hotels International will post 7.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $0.2875 per share. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.46%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Choice Hotels International

In related 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 transaction of $519,050.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly 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 SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 24.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Choice Hotels International

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Sanctuary Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 33.4% during the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 16,834 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,193,000 after purchasing an additional 4,219 shares in the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 30.1% during the 3rd quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 14,889 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,940,000 after buying an additional 3,446 shares in the last quarter. Twelve Points Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Choice Hotels International during the 4th quarter worth $879,000. Erste Asset Management GmbH bought a new position in Choice Hotels International in the 3rd quarter valued at $19,545,000. Finally, Congress Asset Management Co. increased its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 17.3% in the 4th quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 82,131 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,661,000 after buying an additional 12,128 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

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.