Sciencast Management LP Raises Position in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Sciencast Management LP raised its stake in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 82.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,678 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,014 shares during the quarter. Sciencast Management LP’s holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $948,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 12,944 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,838,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 2,112 shares of the company’s stock valued at $300,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 55.8% in the fourth quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 430 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Norden Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 4,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $639,000 after acquiring an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Xponance Inc. grew its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 4,961 shares of the company’s stock valued at $704,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares during the period. 65.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Choice Hotels International Price Performance

NYSE:CHH opened at $129.65 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $6.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.25. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $143.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $140.48. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $109.22 and a 1 year high of $157.86.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 negative return on equity of 472.31% and a net margin of 18.91%. The company had revenue of $389.77 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $374.24 million. On average, analysts expect 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. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.89%. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.46%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on CHH shares. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $118.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. StockNews.com lowered Choice Hotels International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 15th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $150.00 to $152.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Susquehanna increased their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $130.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $131.00 to $139.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Five 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $141.33.

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.