Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) Price Target Raised to $139.00

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) had its price objective hoisted by Morgan Stanley from $131.00 to $139.00 in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an underweight rating on the stock.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on CHH. Susquehanna upped their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $130.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target 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. StockNews.com raised shares of Choice Hotels International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Five investment 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 MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $140.67.

Choice Hotels International Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of CHH opened at $142.20 on Tuesday. Choice Hotels International has a 12-month low of $109.22 and a 12-month high of $157.86. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $145.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $139.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.25.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last posted its 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 net margin of 18.91% and a negative return on equity of 472.31%. The company had revenue of $389.77 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $374.24 million. Equities research analysts predict that Choice Hotels International will post 7.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

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 given a dividend of $0.2875 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.81%. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.46%.

Insider Transactions at Choice Hotels International

In related news, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.40, for a total transaction of $257,032.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 32,014 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,622,821.60. This trade represents a 5.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 directly 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 24.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Choice Hotels International

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CHH. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International in the 4th quarter worth about $48,201,000. Erste Asset Management GmbH purchased a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International in the 3rd quarter worth about $19,545,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. raised its stake in Choice Hotels International by 69.8% in the 4th quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 292,836 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,577,000 after purchasing an additional 120,376 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in Choice Hotels International by 38.5% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 402,293 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,419,000 after purchasing an additional 111,903 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in Choice Hotels International in the 4th quarter valued at about $15,354,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

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.