Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) Price Target Raised to $152.00

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) had its price target lifted by Jefferies Financial Group from $150.00 to $152.00 in a research note published on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a hold rating on the stock.

CHH has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on Choice Hotels International in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $133.00 price target for the company. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $123.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $134.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $118.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $134.36.

Choice Hotels International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CHH opened at $143.30 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $6.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.45, a PEG ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.23. Choice Hotels International has a twelve month low of $108.91 and a twelve month high of $153.81. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 177.75. The company has a 50 day moving average of $144.68 and a 200 day moving average of $132.77.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.92 by $0.31. Choice Hotels International had a negative return on equity of 659.01% and a net margin of 16.27%. The firm had revenue of $428.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $432.62 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.82 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Choice Hotels International will post 6.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.2875 per share. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 2nd. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.03%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Patrick Pacious sold 26,816 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.69, for a total value of $3,880,007.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 404,666 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $58,551,123.54. This trade represents a 6.21 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Patrick Cimerola sold 1,714 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total value of $231,390.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 18,084 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,441,340. The trade was a 8.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 53,572 shares of company stock valued at $7,562,444 in the last quarter. 24.02% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Choice Hotels International

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Tortoise Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 129.4% during the second quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 250 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in Choice Hotels International by 81.4% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 399 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares during the period. Anchor Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International during the third quarter worth $55,000. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International during the third quarter worth $63,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International during the second quarter valued at $69,000. 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.