Tortoise Investment Management LLC Buys 154 Shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Tortoise Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 55.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 430 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $61,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. AlphaQuest LLC bought a new stake in Choice Hotels International during the 4th quarter valued at $535,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in Choice Hotels International during the 4th quarter valued at $2,258,000. Callan Family Office LLC bought a new stake in Choice Hotels International during the 4th quarter valued at $229,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International in the fourth quarter worth $48,201,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International in the fourth quarter worth $1,895,000. Institutional investors own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Choice Hotels International

In other news, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $4,622,821.60. This represents a 5.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.30, for a total transaction 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 24.02% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on CHH shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $138.00 to $137.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $134.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. 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 research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of 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 assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $140.67.

Choice Hotels International Stock Down 0.4 %

NYSE CHH opened at $144.58 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $145.85 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $140.34. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $109.22 and a 12-month high of $157.86. The firm has a market cap of $6.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.21, a PEG 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 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $389.77 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $374.24 million. Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 18.91% and a negative return on equity of 472.31%. Equities analysts expect that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 7.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 0.80%. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.