16,467 Shares in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) Acquired by OFI Invest Asset Management

OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 16,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,258,000.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Choice Hotels International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $48,201,000. Erste Asset Management GmbH acquired a new stake in Choice Hotels International in the third quarter valued at approximately $19,545,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in Choice Hotels International by 38.5% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 402,293 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,419,000 after acquiring an additional 111,903 shares during the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp lifted its stake in Choice Hotels International by 31.4% in the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 143,783 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,735,000 after acquiring an additional 34,396 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas acquired a new stake in Choice Hotels International in the third quarter valued at approximately $2,691,000. 65.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Choice Hotels International Stock Up 2.0 %

Shares of Choice Hotels International stock opened at $145.04 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $145.78 and a 200 day simple moving average of $140.20. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $109.22 and a 12-month high of $157.86.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.10. Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 18.91% and a negative return on equity of 472.31%. The business had revenue of $389.77 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $374.24 million. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 7.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be 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 is Tuesday, April 1st. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.46%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.30, for a total value of $519,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 68,913 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,219,797.90. This trade represents a 4.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of Choice Hotels International stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.40, for a total transaction of $257,032.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 32,014 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,622,821.60. This trade represents a 5.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 24.02% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $118.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $138.00 to $137.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $134.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Choice Hotels International presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $140.67.

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.