Congress Wealth Management LLC DE Purchases 2,539 Shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Congress Wealth Management LLC DE increased its position in shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 15.5% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 18,931 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,539 shares during the period. Congress Wealth Management LLC DE’s holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $2,688,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,423,373 shares of the company’s stock worth $344,070,000 after purchasing an additional 8,362 shares during the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp grew its stake in Choice Hotels International by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 949,586 shares of the company’s stock worth $134,822,000 after buying an additional 9,490 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in Choice Hotels International by 38.5% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 402,293 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,419,000 after buying an additional 111,903 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Choice Hotels International during the 4th quarter valued at about $48,201,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Choice Hotels International by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 279,149 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,634,000 after buying an additional 2,725 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

Choice Hotels International Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of CHH stock opened at $132.95 on Thursday. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $109.22 and a 52-week high of $157.86. The stock has a market cap of $6.21 billion, a PE ratio of 21.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.25. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $143.36 and a 200-day simple moving average of $140.65.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $374.24 million. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 7.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Investors 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 0.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.46%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays upped their price objective 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. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $150.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $136.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. StockNews.com downgraded Choice Hotels International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 15th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Choice Hotels International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Choice Hotels International presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $140.62.

Insider Activity at Choice Hotels International

In other news, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.40, for a total transaction of $257,032.00. Following the sale, 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.30, for a total value of $519,050.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 68,913 shares in the company, valued at $10,219,797.90. This trade represents a 4.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 24.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Choice Hotels International Company 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.