Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) CFO Scott E. Oaksmith Sells 1,780 Shares

Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of Choice Hotels International 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 32,014 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,622,821.60. This represents a 5.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Choice Hotels International Stock Down 1.0 %

NYSE:CHH traded down $1.45 on Wednesday, hitting $142.96. The stock had a trading volume of 140,706 shares, compared to its average volume of 432,688. The company has a market cap of $6.68 billion, a PE ratio of 22.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.23. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $108.91 and a 52 week high of $157.86. The business’s fifty day moving average is $145.61 and its 200 day moving average is $139.78.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $374.24 million. Equities analysts predict 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 paid a dividend of $0.2875 per share. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio is 18.46%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Choice Hotels International

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CHH. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC raised its position in Choice Hotels International by 30.3% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 370 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Choice Hotels International during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 55.8% in the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 430 shares of the company’s stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ boosted its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 836.2% in the 4th quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 440 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 393 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $62,000. Institutional investors own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CHH has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Susquehanna boosted their price target on Choice Hotels International from $130.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on Choice Hotels International from $113.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Bank of America upped their price target on Choice Hotels International from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Barclays upped their price target on Choice Hotels International from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Choice Hotels International from $138.00 to $137.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $140.67.

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.