Short Interest in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) Expands By 8.8%

Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) saw a significant growth in short interest during the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 5,450,000 shares, a growth of 8.8% from the January 15th total of 5,010,000 shares. Currently, 20.8% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 303,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 18.0 days.

Choice Hotels International Trading Down 0.6 %

CHH stock opened at $146.06 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $6.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.23. Choice Hotels International has a 52 week low of $108.91 and a 52 week high of $156.25. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $144.77 and its 200 day moving average price is $137.89.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.2875 per share. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 2nd. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.03%.

Institutional Trading of Choice Hotels International

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CHH. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Choice Hotels International during the fourth quarter worth about $48,201,000. Erste Asset Management GmbH purchased a new stake in Choice Hotels International during the third quarter worth about $19,545,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. boosted its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 69.8% during the fourth quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 292,836 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,577,000 after buying an additional 120,376 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates boosted its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 45.4% during the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 364,983 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,557,000 after buying an additional 113,951 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in Choice Hotels International by 38.5% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 402,293 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,419,000 after acquiring an additional 111,903 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on CHH shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $123.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Bank of America increased their price target on Choice Hotels International from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $113.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $136.33.

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.