Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) Given New $137.00 Price Target at Wells Fargo & Company

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) had its price objective decreased by Wells Fargo & Company from $138.00 to $137.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an underweight rating on the stock.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on CHH. Barclays increased their price target on Choice Hotels International from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $129.00 target price (down from $145.00) on shares of Choice Hotels International in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. StockNews.com raised shares of Choice Hotels International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $134.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Choice Hotels International presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $140.67.

Choice Hotels International Stock Performance

Choice Hotels International stock opened at $144.44 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $145.61 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $139.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.19, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.23. Choice Hotels International has a 52-week low of $108.91 and a 52-week high of $157.86.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.10. Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 18.91% and a negative return on equity of 472.31%. The business had revenue of $389.77 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $374.24 million. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Choice Hotels International will post 7.07 EPS for the current year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $0.2875 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.80%. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.46%.

Insider Transactions at Choice Hotels International

In related news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of Choice Hotels International stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.30, for a total transaction of $519,050.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 68,913 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,219,797.90. This trade represents a 4.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 24.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Choice Hotels International

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Creative Planning grew its position in Choice Hotels International by 28.1% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 2,443 shares of the company’s stock valued at $318,000 after buying an additional 536 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR purchased a new position in Choice Hotels International in the third quarter valued at about $233,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 41.0% during the 3rd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 57,394 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,478,000 after acquiring an additional 16,694 shares during the period. Malaga Cove Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 8.0% during the 3rd quarter. Malaga Cove Capital LLC now owns 2,034 shares of the company’s stock worth $265,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Markel Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 115,500 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,050,000 after purchasing an additional 5,000 shares during the period. 65.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.