Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) Stake Lowered by Wellington Management Group LLP

Wellington Management Group LLP decreased its stake in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 12.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,121,502 shares of the company’s stock after selling 152,999 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP owned 2.39% of Choice Hotels International worth $146,132,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in CHH. Stifel Financial Corp increased its position in Choice Hotels International by 31.4% in the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 143,783 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,735,000 after buying an additional 34,396 shares during the period. Quantinno Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International in the 3rd quarter worth about $368,000. Quarry LP bought a new stake in Choice Hotels International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $63,000. Atom Investors LP acquired a new position in Choice Hotels International during the 3rd quarter valued at about $698,000. Finally, Aureus Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Choice Hotels International in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $218,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on CHH. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Choice Hotels International in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $133.00 target price on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $113.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $134.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Susquehanna boosted their target price on Choice Hotels International from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Choice Hotels International from $105.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Choice Hotels International currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $130.45.

Choice Hotels International Stock Performance

CHH stock opened at $143.42 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $141.30 and a two-hundred day moving average of $129.09. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $108.91 and a 12 month high of $153.81. The company has a market capitalization of $6.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 177.75.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.31. The company had revenue of $428.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $432.62 million. Choice Hotels International had a negative return on equity of 659.01% and a net margin of 16.27%. The business’s revenue was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.82 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 6.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st were issued a dividend of $0.2875 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.80%. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.03%.

Insider Activity

In other Choice Hotels International news, CEO Patrick Pacious sold 7,192 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.95, for a total transaction of $1,042,480.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 404,666 shares in the company, valued at $58,656,336.70. This represents a 1.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Patrick Cimerola sold 1,714 shares of Choice Hotels International stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total value of $231,390.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 18,084 shares in the company, valued at $2,441,340. The trade was a 8.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 61,412 shares of company stock valued at $8,582,271 over the last 90 days. 24.02% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.