Wellington Management Group LLP Sells 637,001 Shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Wellington Management Group LLP cut its holdings in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 56.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 484,501 shares of the company’s stock after selling 637,001 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP owned about 1.03% of Choice Hotels International worth $68,789,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its stake in Choice Hotels International by 30.3% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 370 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 55.8% during the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 430 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the period. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ lifted its position in Choice Hotels International by 836.2% in the fourth quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 440 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,000 after buying an additional 393 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in Choice Hotels International during the fourth quarter worth $62,000. 65.57% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Choice Hotels International Stock Performance

NYSE CHH opened at $123.22 on Friday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $141.53 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $140.91. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a one year low of $109.22 and a one year high of $157.86. The company has a market capitalization of $5.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.08.

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 negative return on equity of 472.31% and a net margin of 18.91%. 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. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a $0.2875 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.93%. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.46%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Choice Hotels International

In other Choice Hotels International news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 68,913 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,219,797.90. This trade represents a 4.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 32,014 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,622,821.60. This trade represents a 5.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 24.02% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $136.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Choice Hotels International from $150.00 to $152.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Bank of America increased their price target on Choice Hotels International from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $130.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Choice Hotels International from $118.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $140.62.

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.