Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) Price Target Raised to $144.00 at Truist Financial

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) had its price target boosted by Truist Financial from $136.00 to $144.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a hold rating on the stock.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $138.00 to $137.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. StockNews.com lowered Choice Hotels International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 15th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $150.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Choice Hotels International from $131.00 to $139.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $141.33.

Choice Hotels International Price Performance

Choice Hotels International stock opened at $129.65 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $6.06 billion, a PE ratio of 20.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.25. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $143.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $140.38. Choice Hotels International has a one year low of $109.22 and a one year high of $157.86.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $389.77 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $374.24 million. Choice Hotels International had a negative return on equity of 472.31% and a net margin of 18.91%. Sell-side analysts expect that Choice Hotels International 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. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. Choice Hotels International’s payout ratio is 18.46%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.30, for a total value of $519,050.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 68,913 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,219,797.90. This represents a 4.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of Choice Hotels International stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.40, for a total value of $257,032.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 32,014 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,622,821.60. This represents a 5.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 24.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International during the fourth quarter worth $48,201,000. Erste Asset Management GmbH bought a new stake in Choice Hotels International during the third quarter valued at $19,545,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. grew its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 69.8% during the 4th quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 292,836 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,577,000 after acquiring an additional 120,376 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 38.5% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 402,293 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,419,000 after purchasing an additional 111,903 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International during the 4th quarter valued at about $15,354,000. 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.