Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) Downgraded to Hold Rating by Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Choice Hotels International from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $102.00 to $95.00 in a report on Friday, December 12th. Susquehanna decreased their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $140.00 to $95.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $121.00 to $106.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $120.00 to $118.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $122.00 to $110.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $109.08.

Choice Hotels International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CHH traded down $0.04 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $108.35. 67,475 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 872,300. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.81. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $94.58 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $108.44. The company has a market cap of $5.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.31, a PEG ratio of 8.44 and a beta of 0.77. Choice Hotels International has a 12-month low of $84.04 and a 12-month high of $157.86.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $2.10 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.18 by ($0.08). Choice Hotels International had a return on equity of 9,081.29% and a net margin of 23.93%.The company had revenue of $278.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $419.75 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.23 EPS. Choice Hotels International’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. Choice Hotels International has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.820-7.050 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Choice Hotels International will post 7.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.2875 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 2nd. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Choice Hotels International’s payout ratio is presently 14.13%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Choice Hotels International

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in CHH. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 23.6% in the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 434 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. Teza Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 5.0% in the 2nd quarter. Teza Capital Management LLC now owns 2,051 shares of the company’s stock worth $260,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Malaga Cove Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 5.4% in the 2nd quarter. Malaga Cove Capital LLC now owns 1,955 shares of the company’s stock worth $248,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Claret Asset Management Corp grew its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 6.6% in the 2nd quarter. Claret Asset Management Corp now owns 1,817 shares of the company’s stock worth $231,000 after buying an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina increased its position in Choice Hotels International by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 12,626 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,602,000 after buying an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. 65.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Choice Hotels International Company Profile

Choice Hotels International, Inc is a hospitality franchisor specializing in the development and support of lodging brands across the economy, midscale and upscale segments. Through a network of franchisees, Choice Hotels supplies proprietary reservation and distribution systems, comprehensive marketing programs, and operational support services. The company’s core activities include brand management, franchise development, and technology-driven revenue optimization tools designed to enhance guest acquisition and retention for its partners.

Founded in 1939 as Quality Courts United, the company rebranded to Choice Hotels International in 1982 to reflect its expanding brand portfolio and global ambitions.