Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) Stock Price Down 5.8% – What’s Next?

Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) shares fell 5.8% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $135.42 and last traded at $136.11. 126,168 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 70% from the average session volume of 424,775 shares. The stock had previously closed at $144.54.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on CHH. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $134.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Barclays upped their price target on Choice Hotels International from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Susquehanna raised their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $130.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Choice Hotels International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Choice Hotels International presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $140.67.

Choice Hotels International Stock Performance

The business’s fifty day moving average price is $145.44 and its 200-day moving average price is $140.31. The stock has a market cap of $5.98 billion, a PE ratio of 20.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.25.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.10. Choice Hotels International had a negative return on equity of 472.31% and a net margin of 18.91%. The business had revenue of $389.77 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $374.24 million. Analysts forecast 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a $0.2875 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.90%. Choice Hotels International’s payout ratio is 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 document filed with the SEC, 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 shares were sold at an average price of $144.40, for a total transaction of $257,032.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 32,014 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,622,821.60. The trade was a 5.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 24.02% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Choice Hotels International

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in CHH. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,423,373 shares of the company’s stock valued at $344,070,000 after acquiring an additional 8,362 shares during the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp raised its position in Choice Hotels International by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 949,586 shares of the company’s stock valued at $134,822,000 after purchasing an additional 9,490 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 38.5% in the 3rd 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. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $48,201,000. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. increased its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 69.8% during the 4th quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 292,836 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,577,000 after purchasing an additional 120,376 shares during the last quarter. 65.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.