Vestcor Inc Acquires New Stake in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Vestcor Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor acquired 3,436 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $488,000.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CHH. Anchor Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Choice Hotels International during the third quarter worth about $55,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Choice Hotels International by 55.8% during the fourth quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 430 shares of the company’s stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new stake in Choice Hotels International during the third quarter worth about $63,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake in Choice Hotels International by 165.5% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 600 shares of the company’s stock worth $85,000 after purchasing an additional 374 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Choice Hotels International during the fourth quarter worth about $125,000. Institutional investors own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Choice Hotels International

In other Choice Hotels International 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 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 represents a 4.83 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.40, for a total value of $257,032.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 32,014 shares in the company, valued at $4,622,821.60. This trade represents a 5.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 24.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Choice Hotels International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CHH opened at $130.12 on Monday. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $109.22 and a 1 year high of $157.86. The company has a market cap of $6.08 billion, a PE ratio of 20.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.25. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $144.90 and its 200 day moving average is $140.44.

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, 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $374.24 million. Analysts expect that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 7.07 EPS for the current fiscal 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 issued a dividend of $0.2875 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.88%. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.46%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on CHH shares. Barclays lifted their price target on Choice Hotels International from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. StockNews.com lowered Choice Hotels International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Choice Hotels International from $134.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Choice Hotels International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Choice Hotels International from $131.00 to $139.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $140.67.

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.