Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) Shares Acquired by Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ lifted its position in shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 836.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 440 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 393 shares during the period. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ’s holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $62,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its position in Choice Hotels International by 33.4% in the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 16,834 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,193,000 after acquiring an additional 4,219 shares during the period. TD Private Client Wealth LLC increased its position in Choice Hotels International by 30.1% in the 3rd quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 14,889 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,940,000 after acquiring an additional 3,446 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH acquired a new position in Choice Hotels International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $19,545,000. Twelve Points Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Choice Hotels International in the 4th quarter valued at about $879,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in Choice Hotels International in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,258,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

Choice Hotels International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CHH opened at $130.63 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $144.53 and its 200-day simple moving average is $140.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.25. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $109.22 and a 12 month high of $157.86.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $389.77 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $374.24 million. Choice Hotels International had a negative return on equity of 472.31% and a net margin of 18.91%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 7.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a $0.2875 dividend. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. Choice Hotels International’s payout ratio is currently 18.46%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on CHH shares. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Choice Hotels International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Susquehanna boosted their target price on Choice Hotels International from $130.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Choice Hotels International from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Choice Hotels International from $131.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Choice Hotels International from $150.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $140.67.

Insider Activity at Choice Hotels International

In related news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 68,913 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,219,797.90. This represents a 4.83 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 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 owned by corporate insiders.

Choice Hotels International 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.