Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) Given New $152.00 Price Target at Jefferies Financial Group

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) had its target price upped by Jefferies Financial Group from $150.00 to $152.00 in a report issued on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a hold rating on the stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Choice Hotels International from $138.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on Choice Hotels International from $113.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $118.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price target on Choice Hotels International from $134.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Four 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.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $134.36.

Choice Hotels International Trading Up 1.2 %

CHH opened at $143.30 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 177.75. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $144.68 and its two-hundred day moving average is $132.77. The company has a market capitalization of $6.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.45, a PEG ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.23. Choice Hotels International has a 52 week low of $108.91 and a 52 week high of $153.81.

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

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be given a $0.2875 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.80%. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.03%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Patrick Cimerola sold 1,714 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total value of $231,390.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 18,084 shares in the company, valued at $2,441,340. This trade represents a 8.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Patrick Pacious sold 7,192 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.95, for a total value of $1,042,480.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 404,666 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $58,656,336.70. This represents a 1.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 53,572 shares of company stock worth $7,562,444 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 24.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Choice Hotels International

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Choice Hotels International by 77.2% during the second quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 4,105,796 shares of the company’s stock worth $488,590,000 after acquiring an additional 1,788,563 shares during the last quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH purchased a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International in the third quarter valued at approximately $19,545,000. Raymond James & Associates increased its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 45.4% in the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 364,983 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,557,000 after purchasing an additional 113,951 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in 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 buying an additional 111,903 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 51.5% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 266,950 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,767,000 after buying an additional 90,765 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.