Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) Director Sells $259,120.00 in Stock

Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) Director Ervin R. Shames sold 2,000 shares of Choice Hotels International stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.56, for a total value of $259,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 52,212 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,764,586.72. This represents a 3.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Choice Hotels International Price Performance

CHH traded up $1.37 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $132.06. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 350,839 shares, compared to its average volume of 395,291. The business’s 50-day moving average is $127.06 and its 200-day moving average is $139.03. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $109.22 and a fifty-two week high of $157.86. The stock has a market cap of $6.13 billion, a PE ratio of 21.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.00.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $1.34 earnings per share (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%. The firm’s revenue was up .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.28 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 7.07 EPS for the current year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be given a $0.2875 dividend. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 1st. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.56%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CHH has been the subject of several recent research reports. StockNews.com lowered Choice Hotels International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 15th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $154.00 to $133.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Choice Hotels International from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $141.00 to $138.00 in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic upgraded Choice Hotels International from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $132.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, March 24th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $133.38.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Choice Hotels International

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Barclays PLC increased its position in Choice Hotels International by 56.9% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 17,902 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,541,000 after acquiring an additional 6,493 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position 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 worth $39,634,000 after acquiring an additional 2,725 shares in the last quarter. Twelve Points Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Choice Hotels International in the fourth quarter worth $879,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in Choice Hotels International in the fourth quarter worth $2,258,000. Finally, Congress Asset Management Co. boosted its stake 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 worth $11,661,000 after acquiring an additional 12,128 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.