Wells Fargo & Company Issues Positive Forecast for Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) Stock Price

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) had its target price boosted by Wells Fargo & Company from $133.00 to $138.00 in a research report report published on Tuesday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. They currently have an underweight rating on the stock.

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on CHH. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and issued a $129.00 price objective (down previously from $145.00) on shares of Choice Hotels International in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Barclays upped their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $123.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective 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. Susquehanna upped their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Choice Hotels International from $150.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Choice Hotels International presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $136.33.

Choice Hotels International Stock Performance

NYSE CHH opened at $155.67 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $7.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.23. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $144.67 and its 200-day moving average price is $136.63. Choice Hotels International has a fifty-two week low of $108.91 and a fifty-two week high of $155.98.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.23 EPS 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 the consensus estimate of $432.62 million. Choice Hotels International had a negative return on equity of 659.01% and a net margin of 16.27%. Choice Hotels International’s quarterly revenue was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.82 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Choice Hotels International will post 6.84 EPS for the current year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd were paid a $0.2875 dividend. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 2nd. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.03%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Choice Hotels International

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CHH. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in Choice Hotels International by 81.4% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 399 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Choice Hotels International in the third quarter valued at about $55,000. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in Choice Hotels International in the third quarter valued at about $63,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its stake in Choice Hotels International by 165.5% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 600 shares of the company’s stock valued at $85,000 after buying an additional 374 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 12.9% in the third quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 843 shares of the company’s stock valued at $110,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the period. 65.57% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.