Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. Makes New $143,000 Investment in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 1,004 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $143,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Erste Asset Management GmbH bought a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $19,545,000. Raymond James & Associates increased its stake in shares of 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 during the last quarter. 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 acquiring an additional 111,903 shares during the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp increased its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 31.4% in the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 143,783 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,735,000 after acquiring an additional 34,396 shares during the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $42,280,000. 65.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CHH has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Susquehanna boosted 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. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $113.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Barclays boosted 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $129.00 price objective (down from $145.00) on shares of Choice Hotels International in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Five investment 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 data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $136.33.

Choice Hotels International Trading Down 0.6 %

NYSE CHH opened at $146.06 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $6.85 billion, a PE ratio of 27.98, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.23. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $108.91 and a 12 month high of $156.25. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $144.72 and a 200-day moving average of $137.63.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd were issued a $0.2875 dividend. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 2nd. Choice Hotels International’s payout ratio 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.