Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) Shares Sold by Wellington Management Group LLP

Wellington Management Group LLP cut its position in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 56.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 484,501 shares of the company’s stock after selling 637,001 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP’s holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $68,789,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 30.3% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 370 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the period. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International in the third quarter worth $55,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC increased its stake 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 worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares during the period. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ raised its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 836.2% during the fourth quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 440 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 393 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in Choice Hotels International during the fourth quarter valued at $62,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

Choice Hotels International Trading Down 4.1 %

NYSE:CHH opened at $123.22 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $141.53 and a two-hundred day moving average of $140.91. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $109.22 and a 12 month high of $157.86. The firm has a market cap of $5.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.08.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $389.77 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $374.24 million. On average, research analysts forecast that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 7.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.93%. Choice Hotels International’s payout ratio is presently 18.46%.

Insider Activity at Choice Hotels International

In related news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of Choice Hotels International stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.30, for a total transaction of $519,050.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 68,913 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,219,797.90. This trade represents a 4.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 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 value of $257,032.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 32,014 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,622,821.60. The trade was a 5.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 24.02% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on CHH. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $118.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Choice Hotels International from $138.00 to $137.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. StockNews.com cut shares of Choice Hotels International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 15th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $140.62.

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.