Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) Short Interest Update

Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest in the month of October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totalling 5,510,000 shares, a decrease of 5.7% from the September 30th total of 5,840,000 shares. Approximately 21.3% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 340,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 16.2 days.

Choice Hotels International Price Performance

Shares of CHH opened at $138.76 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $130.88 and a 200-day moving average of $123.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 177.75, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The company has a market capitalization of $6.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 1.25. Choice Hotels International has a 1 year low of $108.91 and a 1 year high of $143.69.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported $1.84 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.86 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $435.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $438.29 million. Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 15.42% and a negative return on equity of 3,953.67%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.75 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Choice Hotels International will post 6.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 1st were paid a dividend of $0.2875 per share. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 1st. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 23.91%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CHH has been the subject of several research reports. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $126.00 to $125.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Barclays dropped their price target on Choice Hotels International from $114.00 to $112.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $144.00 to $134.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. StockNews.com upgraded Choice Hotels International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered Choice Hotels International from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and set a $120.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $125.50.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Patrick Cimerola sold 1,714 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total value of $231,390.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 18,084 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,441,340. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, insider Patrick Cimerola sold 1,714 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total transaction of $231,390.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 18,084 shares in the company, valued at $2,441,340. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Patrick Pacious sold 10,025 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.37, for a total value of $1,206,709.25. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 404,666 shares in the company, valued at $48,709,646.42. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 37,429 shares of company stock worth $4,866,493. 24.02% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Choice Hotels International

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 144.4% in the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 198 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in Choice Hotels International by 307.4% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 220 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 163.2% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 229 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 129.4% during the 2nd quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 250 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 141 shares during the period. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. increased its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 1,146.9% in the 2nd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 399 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 367 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

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.