Harvest Portfolios Group Inc. Reduces Stock Position in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Harvest Portfolios Group Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 7.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,310 shares of the company’s stock after selling 437 shares during the quarter. Harvest Portfolios Group Inc.’s holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $692,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 41.0% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Stephens Inc. AR acquired a new position in Choice Hotels International in the third quarter worth about $233,000. Congress Asset Management Co. increased its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 15.1% in the third quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 70,003 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,121,000 after buying an additional 9,202 shares during the last quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 15.0% in the third quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,386 shares of the company’s stock valued at $315,000 after buying an additional 312 shares during the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Choice Hotels International during the third quarter valued at approximately $42,280,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Choice Hotels International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $150.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded Choice Hotels International from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and set a $120.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Friday, July 19th. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $126.00 to $125.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $138.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on Choice Hotels International from $113.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $128.20.

Choice Hotels International Stock Up 3.6 %

Shares of CHH stock opened at $144.47 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 177.75, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 0.99. The stock has a market cap of $6.82 billion, a PE ratio of 27.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.24. The business’s fifty day moving average is $131.42 and its 200-day moving average is $124.15. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $108.91 and a 1 year high of $149.75.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.31. Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 15.42% and a negative return on equity of 3,953.67%. The firm had revenue of $428.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $432.62 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.82 earnings per share. Choice Hotels International’s revenue for the quarter was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 6.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st were issued a $0.2875 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.80%. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.03%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Patrick Cimerola sold 1,714 shares of Choice Hotels International stock in a transaction on 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 directly owns 18,084 shares in the company, valued at $2,441,340. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Choice Hotels International news, insider Robert J. Mcdowell sold 8,712 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.99, for a total value of $1,176,032.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 38,502 shares in the company, valued at $5,197,384.98. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Patrick Cimerola sold 1,714 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total transaction of $231,390.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 18,084 shares in the company, valued at $2,441,340. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 37,429 shares of company stock worth $4,866,493. Insiders own 24.02% 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.