Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Truist Financial Analyst Says

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) had its price objective hoisted by Truist Financial from $136.00 to $144.00 in a research note released on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. Truist Financial currently has a hold rating on the stock.

CHH has been the topic of several other research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective 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. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $118.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Susquehanna upped 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. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. 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 Price Performance

CHH stock opened at $129.65 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $143.92 and its 200-day moving average is $140.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.06 billion, a PE ratio of 20.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.25. Choice Hotels International has a 1 year low of $109.22 and a 1 year high of $157.86.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $389.77 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $374.24 million. On average, analysts anticipate that Choice Hotels International will post 7.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.2875 per share. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. Choice Hotels International’s payout ratio is 18.46%.

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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 68,913 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,219,797.90. This represents a 4.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 32,014 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,622,821.60. This trade represents 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 company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CHH. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its stake in Choice Hotels International by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 3,562 shares of the company’s stock valued at $506,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its stake 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 worth $1,838,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC raised its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 30.3% in 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 during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 2,069 shares of the company’s stock valued at $294,000 after buying an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP boosted its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP now owns 3,062 shares of the company’s stock worth $435,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other 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.