Sepio Capital LP Lowers Stake in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Sepio Capital LP cut its position in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 3.7% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 10,583 shares of the company’s stock after selling 401 shares during the quarter. Sepio Capital LP’s holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $1,503,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of CHH. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 30.3% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 370 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Choice Hotels International during the third quarter valued at about $55,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 55.8% in the fourth quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 430 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International in the fourth quarter worth about $62,000. Finally, Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ grew its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 836.2% during the fourth 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. 65.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CHH has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Choice Hotels International from $138.00 to $137.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $118.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $136.00 to $144.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $140.62.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of Choice Hotels International stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.40, for a total transaction 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 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 corporate insiders.

Choice Hotels International Stock Down 4.1 %

Choice Hotels International stock opened at $123.22 on Monday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $141.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $141.10. The company has a market cap of $5.76 billion, a PE ratio of 19.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.08. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $81.34 and a twelve month high of $157.86.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $389.77 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $374.24 million. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 7.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The business 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.93%. Choice Hotels International’s payout ratio is presently 18.46%.

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.