Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) Price Target Raised to $141.00 at Morgan Stanley

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) had its price target increased by Morgan Stanley from $134.00 to $141.00 in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. Morgan Stanley currently has an equal weight rating on the stock.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Choice Hotels International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $150.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $112.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $113.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Susquehanna raised their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $126.00 to $125.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Choice Hotels International currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $130.00.

Choice Hotels International Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE:CHH opened at $146.23 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 177.75. The firm has a market cap of $6.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 1.24. Choice Hotels International has a 12 month low of $108.91 and a 12 month high of $149.75. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $134.40 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $125.59.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.31. Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 16.27% and a negative return on equity of 659.01%. The business had revenue of $428.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $432.62 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.82 earnings per share. Choice Hotels International’s revenue was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Choice Hotels International will post 6.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st were issued a $0.2875 dividend. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 1st. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Patrick Pacious sold 10,025 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.37, for a total transaction of $1,206,709.25. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 404,666 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $48,709,646.42. This represents a 2.42 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Patrick Cimerola sold 1,714 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total transaction of $231,390.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 18,084 shares in the company, valued at $2,441,340. This trade represents a 8.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 71,437 shares of company stock valued at $9,788,980. 24.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Choice Hotels International

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its stake in Choice Hotels International by 144.4% in the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 198 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 307.4% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 220 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd boosted its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 163.2% during the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 229 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the period. Tortoise Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 129.4% during the second quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 250 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 141 shares during the period. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 1,146.9% during the second quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 399 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 367 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

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.