Jefferies Financial Group Cuts Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) Price Target to $133.00

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) had its price target cut by Jefferies Financial Group from $154.00 to $133.00 in a research note released on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a hold rating on the stock.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on CHH. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Choice Hotels International from $138.00 to $137.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $131.00 to $139.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Susquehanna boosted their target price on Choice Hotels International from $130.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Choice Hotels International from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $139.15.

Choice Hotels International Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE:CHH opened at $124.92 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $137.95 and its 200 day moving average price is $140.56. The company has a market cap of $5.84 billion, a PE ratio of 20.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.08. Choice Hotels International has a fifty-two week low of $109.22 and a fifty-two week high of $157.86.

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

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.2875 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.92%. Choice Hotels International’s payout ratio is presently 18.46%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Choice Hotels International

In other Choice Hotels International news, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.40, for a total transaction of $257,032.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 32,014 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,622,821.60. The trade was a 5.27 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.30, for a total value of $519,050.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 68,913 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,219,797.90. This trade represents a 4.83 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 24.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Choice Hotels International

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of CHH. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Choice Hotels International by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,423,373 shares of the company’s stock valued at $344,070,000 after acquiring an additional 8,362 shares in the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp increased its stake in Choice Hotels International by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 949,586 shares of the company’s stock valued at $134,822,000 after buying an additional 9,490 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in Choice Hotels International by 38.5% in the 3rd 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. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International during the 4th quarter valued at $48,201,000. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. grew its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $41,577,000 after acquiring an additional 120,376 shares in the last quarter. 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.