Northern Trust Corp Acquires 24,957 Shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 10.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 267,256 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 24,957 shares during the quarter. Northern Trust Corp owned 0.57% of Choice Hotels International worth $37,945,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of CHH. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its stake in Choice Hotels International by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 3,562 shares of the company’s stock worth $506,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 12,944 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,838,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the period. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its position in Choice Hotels International by 30.3% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 370 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 2,112 shares of the company’s stock worth $300,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP raised its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 25.6% in the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 604 shares of the company’s stock valued at $86,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of Choice Hotels International stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 32,014 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,622,821.60. This trade represents a 5.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.30, for a total transaction of $519,050.00. Following the completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 23.78% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Choice Hotels International Trading Up 1.9 %

Shares of NYSE CHH opened at $123.57 on Friday. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $109.22 and a 12 month high of $157.86. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $128.48 and a 200-day moving average of $139.45. The company has a market capitalization of $5.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.00.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $1.34 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.38 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $332.86 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $348.52 million. Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 18.91% and a negative return on equity of 472.31%. Choice Hotels International’s revenue for the quarter was up .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.28 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 7.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st were issued a dividend of $0.2875 per share. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.93%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 1st. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.46%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on CHH. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $154.00 to $133.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Truist Financial raised their price target 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. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective 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. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Choice Hotels International from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $141.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target 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.