Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) Stock: Insider Scott Oaksmith Sells 2,000 Shares

Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) CFO Scott Oaksmith sold 2,000 shares of Choice Hotels International stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.35, for a total value of $240,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 31,172 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,751,550.20. This represents a 6.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link.

Choice Hotels International Stock Performance

NYSE CHH opened at $118.69 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $105.17 and a 200-day moving average of $107.40. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $84.04 and a 52-week high of $123.82. The company has a market capitalization of $5.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.37, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.52, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.26.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 2nd. The company reported $2.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.29 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $458.33 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $447.56 million. Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 12.65% and a return on equity of 216.71%. The business’s revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.10 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 6.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 1st were given a dividend of $0.2875 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 1st. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.56%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on CHH shares. Barclays upped their price target on Choice Hotels International from $103.00 to $107.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $97.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 19th. Freedom Broker raised their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $117.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday. Wedbush set a $130.00 target price on shares of Choice Hotels International in a report on Thursday. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Choice Hotels International from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $115.46.

Institutional Trading of Choice Hotels International

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC lifted its stake in Choice Hotels International by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 2,156 shares of the company’s stock valued at $234,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund grew its stake in Choice Hotels International by 2.4% during the 1st quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 4,243 shares of the company’s stock worth $439,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 18.9% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 762 shares of the company’s stock worth $84,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in Choice Hotels International by 92.5% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 283 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the period. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 10.7% during the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,661 shares of the company’s stock worth $172,000 after buying an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. 65.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Choice Hotels International Company Profile

Choice Hotels International, Inc is a global lodging franchisor that licenses its hotel brands to independent owners and operators. The company supports its franchisees through brand standards, reservation and distribution systems, marketing, loyalty programs, technology, and operational services rather than primarily owning and operating hotels itself.

Its portfolio includes brands serving a range of price points and travel needs, including Comfort, Quality Inn, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Econo Lodge, MainStay Suites, Suburban Studios, WoodSpring Suites, Cambria Hotels, and the Ascend Hotel Collection.