Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) Hits New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $134.60 and last traded at $134.55, with a volume of 24429 shares. The stock had previously closed at $133.42.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on CHH shares. Susquehanna assumed coverage on Choice Hotels International in a research note on Friday, June 21st. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price objective on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Choice Hotels International in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. They set a “sell” rating and a $105.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered Choice Hotels International from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and set a $120.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on Choice Hotels International from $137.00 to $134.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their price target on Choice Hotels International from $144.00 to $134.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $125.64.

Choice Hotels International Stock Up 0.2 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 177.75. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $126.62 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $122.30. The company has a market capitalization of $6.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.25.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported $1.84 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.86 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $435.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $438.29 million. Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 15.42% and a negative return on equity of 3,953.67%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.75 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 6.38 EPS for the current year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st will be issued a $0.2875 dividend. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 1st. Choice Hotels International’s payout ratio is currently 23.91%.

Insider Transactions at Choice Hotels International

In other news, CEO Patrick Pacious sold 10,025 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.37, for a total value of $1,206,709.25. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 404,666 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,709,646.42. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, SVP Simone Wu sold 7,840 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.08, for a total value of $1,019,827.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 45,669 shares in the company, valued at $5,940,623.52. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Patrick Pacious sold 10,025 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.37, for a total transaction of $1,206,709.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 404,666 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,709,646.42. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 24.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in Choice Hotels International by 144.4% in the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 198 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in Choice Hotels International by 307.4% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 220 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd raised its position in Choice Hotels International by 163.2% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 229 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC raised its position in Choice Hotels International by 129.4% in the 2nd quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 250 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vima LLC bought a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Institutional investors own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

About Choice Hotels International

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.