Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) Given New $137.00 Price Target at Wells Fargo & Company

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) had its price target lowered by Wells Fargo & Company from $138.00 to $137.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an underweight rating on the stock.

CHH has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Barclays raised their target price on Choice Hotels International from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Truist Financial raised their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $134.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. StockNews.com raised Choice Hotels International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $140.67.

Choice Hotels International Stock Up 0.3 %

CHH stock opened at $144.44 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $6.75 billion, a PE ratio of 23.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.23. Choice Hotels International has a 52 week low of $108.91 and a 52 week high of $157.86. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $145.61 and a 200 day simple moving average of $139.78.

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

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.2875 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.80%. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.46%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Choice Hotels International news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of Choice Hotels International stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.30, for a total transaction of $519,050.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 68,913 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,219,797.90. The trade was a 4.83 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 24.02% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Choice Hotels International

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Choice Hotels International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $48,201,000. Erste Asset Management GmbH acquired a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $19,545,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. boosted its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 69.8% in the 4th quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 292,836 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,577,000 after purchasing an additional 120,376 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 111,903 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in Choice Hotels International during the fourth quarter worth $15,354,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.