Short Interest in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) Expands By 8.8%

Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) saw a large increase in short interest in January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 5,450,000 shares, an increase of 8.8% from the January 15th total of 5,010,000 shares. Approximately 20.8% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 303,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 18.0 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective 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. Barclays boosted their price target on Choice Hotels International from $123.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Choice Hotels International from $138.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, 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. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six 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 $136.33.

Choice Hotels International Price Performance

Choice Hotels International stock opened at $146.06 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $144.77 and a 200-day simple moving average of $137.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.85 billion, a PE ratio of 27.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.23. Choice Hotels International has a 12-month low of $108.91 and a 12-month high of $156.25.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.2875 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.79%. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.03%.

Institutional Trading of Choice Hotels International

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International in the 4th quarter valued at $48,201,000. Erste Asset Management GmbH acquired a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International in the third quarter valued at approximately $19,545,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. lifted its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 69.8% during the 4th quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 292,836 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,577,000 after purchasing an additional 120,376 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates raised its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 45.4% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 364,983 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,557,000 after acquiring an additional 113,951 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 38.5% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 402,293 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,419,000 after purchasing an additional 111,903 shares during the last quarter. 65.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.