AlphaQuest LLC Acquires Shares of 3,766 Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 3,766 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $535,000.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $118.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased 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 report on Tuesday, March 4th. Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $134.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $150.00 to $152.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $140.67.

Choice Hotels International Price Performance

CHH opened at $130.07 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $6.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.88, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.25. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $109.22 and a 1-year high of $157.86. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $145.44 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $140.31.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $389.77 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $374.24 million. Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 18.91% and a negative return on equity of 472.31%. 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $0.2875 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.88%. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio is 18.46%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.30, for a total transaction of $519,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 68,913 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,219,797.90. This represents a 4.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of the company’s 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 owns 32,014 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,622,821.60. This represents a 5.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 24.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.