Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) Short Interest Update

Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) saw a significant drop in short interest in the month of October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totalling 5,510,000 shares, a drop of 5.7% from the September 30th total of 5,840,000 shares. Currently, 21.3% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 340,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 16.2 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Truist Financial reduced their price target on Choice Hotels International from $144.00 to $134.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Choice Hotels International in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. They issued a “sell” rating and a $105.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut shares of Choice Hotels International from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and set a $120.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Barclays decreased their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $114.00 to $112.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Choice Hotels International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $125.50.

Choice Hotels International Price Performance

NYSE:CHH opened at $138.76 on Friday. Choice Hotels International has a 12-month low of $108.91 and a 12-month high of $143.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.85, a P/E/G ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 1.25. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $130.88 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $123.74. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 177.75.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported $1.84 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.86 by ($0.02). Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 15.42% and a negative return on equity of 3,953.67%. The business had revenue of $435.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $438.29 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.75 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Choice Hotels International will post 6.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st were given a $0.2875 dividend. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 1st. Choice Hotels International’s payout ratio is 23.91%.

Insider Transactions at Choice Hotels International

In related news, SVP Simone Wu sold 7,840 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.08, for a total value of $1,019,827.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 45,669 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,940,623.52. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, SVP Simone Wu sold 7,840 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.08, for a total value of $1,019,827.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 45,669 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,940,623.52. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Patrick Cimerola sold 1,714 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total value of $231,390.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 18,084 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,441,340. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 37,429 shares of company stock valued at $4,866,493 over the last 90 days. 24.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Choice Hotels International

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Atria Investments Inc grew its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 22.2% in the 3rd quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 19,953 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,600,000 after buying an additional 3,623 shares in the last quarter. Markel Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 4.5% in the third quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 115,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,050,000 after acquiring an additional 5,000 shares during the period. Malaga Cove Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 8.0% in the third quarter. Malaga Cove Capital LLC now owns 2,034 shares of the company’s stock valued at $265,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its position in Choice Hotels International by 41.0% during the third quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 57,394 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,478,000 after acquiring an additional 16,694 shares during the period. Finally, Stephens Inc. AR acquired a new stake in Choice Hotels International in the 3rd quarter worth about $233,000. Institutional investors own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

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.