CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC Acquires 86 Shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 30.3% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 370 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 86 shares during the quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC’s holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $52,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International in the 4th quarter valued at about $48,201,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Choice Hotels International by 38.5% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 402,293 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,419,000 after acquiring an additional 111,903 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Choice Hotels International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $15,354,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership bought a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $10,779,000. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp boosted its holdings 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 worth $18,735,000 after purchasing an additional 34,396 shares during the period. 65.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Choice Hotels International

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on CHH. Susquehanna increased their price target on Choice Hotels International from $130.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $118.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price 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. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $131.00 to $139.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Choice Hotels International from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $132.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $140.62.

Choice Hotels International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CHH opened at $117.38 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $139.72 and a 200 day moving average price of $140.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.84, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.08. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $109.22 and a 52-week high of $157.86.

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

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. Choice Hotels International’s payout ratio is 18.46%.

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.