AdvisorShares Investments LLC Acquires New Holdings in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

AdvisorShares Investments LLC bought a new position in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 4,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $696,000.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 1.0% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Twelve Points Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International in the fourth quarter worth about $879,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International during the fourth quarter worth about $2,258,000. Congress Asset Management Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 17.3% during the 4th quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 82,131 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,661,000 after purchasing an additional 12,128 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 3,087.2% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 21,195 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,009,000 after purchasing an additional 20,530 shares during the period. 65.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Choice Hotels International Trading Up 0.2 %

CHH stock opened at $125.54 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $132.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $140.09. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $109.22 and a 1-year high of $157.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.87 billion, a PE ratio of 20.15, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.08.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $374.24 million. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 7.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st were paid a dividend of $0.2875 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.92%. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.46%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Choice Hotels International 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 transaction, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.40, for a total value of $257,032.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 32,014 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,622,821.60. The trade was a 5.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 24.02% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on CHH. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Choice Hotels International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Choice Hotels International from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $141.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $132.00 to $111.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $130.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Choice Hotels International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 15th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $135.69.

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.