Swiss National Bank Reduces Stock Holdings in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Swiss National Bank decreased its position in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 1.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 55,667 shares of the company’s stock after selling 700 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $7,904,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International during the fourth quarter worth $48,201,000. Erste Asset Management GmbH purchased a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International during the third quarter worth $19,545,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 38.5% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 402,293 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,419,000 after acquiring an additional 111,903 shares in the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp lifted its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 31.4% during the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 143,783 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,735,000 after acquiring an additional 34,396 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas purchased a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International during the third quarter worth $2,691,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on CHH. Bank of America increased their target price on Choice Hotels International from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Choice Hotels International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. StockNews.com downgraded Choice Hotels International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 15th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective 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. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $118.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $141.33.

Choice Hotels International Stock Down 0.3 %

NYSE CHH opened at $129.65 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $143.92 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $140.38. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $109.22 and a twelve month high of $157.86. The company has a market capitalization of $6.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.81, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.25.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $389.77 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $374.24 million. On average, 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 business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a $0.2875 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.89%. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.46%.

Insider Transactions at Choice Hotels International

In other news, 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 value of $257,032.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 32,014 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,622,821.60. The trade was a 5.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of Choice Hotels International stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.30, for a total value of $519,050.00. Following the completion of 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 24.02% of the company’s stock.

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.