Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) Sees Significant Drop in Short Interest

Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) saw a significant drop in short interest in the month of November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 4,990,000 shares, a drop of 9.3% from the October 31st total of 5,500,000 shares. Currently, 19.5% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 321,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 15.5 days.

Choice Hotels International Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of CHH opened at $151.24 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 177.75. Choice Hotels International has a 1-year low of $108.91 and a 1-year high of $153.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.24. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $139.24 and its 200 day moving average price is $127.73.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.92 by $0.31. Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 16.27% and a negative return on equity of 659.01%. The business had revenue of $428.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $432.62 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.82 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Choice Hotels International will post 6.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st were given a dividend of $0.2875 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.76%. Choice Hotels International’s payout ratio is presently 22.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Choice Hotels International

In related news, CEO Patrick Pacious sold 10,025 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.37, for a total value of $1,206,709.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 404,666 shares in the company, valued at $48,709,646.42. This represents a 2.42 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 9,138 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.88, for a total transaction of $1,232,533.44. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 68,509 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,240,493.92. The trade was a 11.77 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 71,437 shares of company stock worth $9,788,980. 24.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Choice Hotels International

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in CHH. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Choice Hotels International by 77.2% during the second quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 4,105,796 shares of the company’s stock valued at $488,590,000 after purchasing an additional 1,788,563 shares during the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp grew its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 941,560 shares of the company’s stock valued at $112,046,000 after buying an additional 8,033 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 4.1% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 675,142 shares of the company’s stock worth $80,340,000 after buying an additional 26,289 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates raised its position in Choice Hotels International by 45.4% during the third 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Choice Hotels International by 51.5% in the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 266,950 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,767,000 after acquiring an additional 90,765 shares during the last quarter. 65.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CHH has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Choice Hotels International from $105.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on Choice Hotels International from $113.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Truist Financial dropped their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $144.00 to $134.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Choice Hotels International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. 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. According to MarketBeat.com, Choice Hotels International currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $130.00.

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.