Insider Selling: Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) SVP Sells 8,080 Shares of Stock

Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) SVP Simone Wu sold 8,080 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.56, for a total value of $820,604.80. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 48,803 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,956,432.68. This represents a 14.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Choice Hotels International Stock Up 6.1%

Shares of Choice Hotels International stock traded up $6.18 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $107.70. 984,713 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 819,874. The firm has a market cap of $4.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 8.18 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.81. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $84.04 and a 52-week high of $157.86. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $97.86 and its 200 day simple moving average is $105.62.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $2.10 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $278.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $419.75 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.23 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 7.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 2nd were given a $0.2875 dividend. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 2nd. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 14.13%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CHH has been the topic of several research reports. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 16th. Susquehanna dropped their target price on Choice Hotels International from $140.00 to $95.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 26th. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on Choice Hotels International in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $84.00 price target for the company. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $122.00 to $110.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Choice Hotels International has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $109.15.

Institutional Trading of Choice Hotels International

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Bamco Inc. NY increased its position in Choice Hotels International by 7.4% during the 3rd quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 5,359,896 shares of the company’s stock valued at $573,026,000 after buying an additional 369,244 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,331,972 shares of the company’s stock worth $222,144,000 after acquiring an additional 27,032 shares during the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp increased its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 8.4% during the third quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 1,046,784 shares of the company’s stock valued at $111,912,000 after acquiring an additional 81,132 shares in the last quarter. Rock Creek Group LP increased its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 52.3% during the second quarter. Rock Creek Group LP now owns 811,579 shares of the company’s stock valued at $102,973,000 after acquiring an additional 278,715 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 5.3% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 428,285 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,341,000 after purchasing an additional 21,631 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

About Choice Hotels International

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.