Aureus Asset Management LLC Makes New $218,000 Investment in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Aureus Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 1,675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $218,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 12.9% in the 3rd quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 843 shares of the company’s stock valued at $110,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the period. AGF Management Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. AGF Management Ltd. now owns 20,940 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,492,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 2,267 shares of the company’s stock worth $295,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Aurora Investment Managers LLC. boosted its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Aurora Investment Managers LLC. now owns 12,465 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,624,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares during the period. Finally, MJP Associates Inc. ADV increased its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 7.4% in the 2nd quarter. MJP Associates Inc. ADV now owns 1,836 shares of the company’s stock valued at $219,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. 65.57% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Choice Hotels International from $138.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Truist Financial cut their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $144.00 to $134.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Choice Hotels International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $150.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $134.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $126.00 to $125.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $130.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Choice Hotels International news, CEO Patrick Pacious sold 7,192 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.95, for a total transaction of $1,042,480.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 404,666 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $58,656,336.70. This trade represents a 1.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 9,138 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.88, for a total transaction of $1,232,533.44. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 68,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,240,493.92. This represents a 11.77 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 71,437 shares of company stock worth $9,788,980 over the last 90 days. 24.02% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Choice Hotels International Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:CHH opened at $150.59 on Tuesday. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $108.91 and a 52 week high of $153.81. The company’s 50 day moving average is $139.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $127.79. The company has a market cap of $7.06 billion, a PE ratio of 28.85, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a current ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 177.75.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last issued its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.92 by $0.31. Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 16.27% and a negative return on equity of 659.01%. The firm had revenue of $428.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $432.62 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.82 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 6.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st were given a dividend of $0.2875 per share. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 1st. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.03%.

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.