Analysts Set Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) PT at $110.00

Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) has earned an average recommendation of “Reduce” from the fourteen analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have issued a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $110.00.

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $91.00 to $83.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $98.00 to $101.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Weiss Ratings raised Choice Hotels International from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Argus reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Choice Hotels International in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,603 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.00, for a total value of $160,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 37,172 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,717,200. This represents a 4.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Simone Wu sold 8,080 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.56, for a total transaction of $820,604.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 48,803 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,956,432.68. This represents a 14.20% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 10,283 shares of company stock valued at $1,040,947. Corporate insiders own 24.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Choice Hotels International

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bamco Inc. NY lifted its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 37.8% in the fourth quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 7,386,575 shares of the company’s stock valued at $703,645,000 after purchasing an additional 2,026,679 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 151.5% during the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 512,628 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,833,000 after buying an additional 308,771 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International during the fourth quarter valued at $28,910,000. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in Choice Hotels International by 55.1% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 574,630 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,739,000 after buying an additional 204,146 shares during the period. Finally, Tudor Investment Corp ET AL raised its position in Choice Hotels International by 208.1% during the fourth quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL now owns 280,513 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,722,000 after buying an additional 189,464 shares during the period. 65.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Choice Hotels International Price Performance

NYSE CHH opened at $101.34 on Friday. Choice Hotels International has a 12 month low of $84.04 and a 12 month high of $136.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.66 billion, a PE ratio of 12.80, a P/E/G ratio of 4.47 and a beta of 0.75. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $103.89 and its 200 day simple moving average is $100.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.52, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.87.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The company reported $1.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.56 by $0.04. Choice Hotels International had a return on equity of 541.07% and a net margin of 23.17%.The firm had revenue of $390.15 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $369.26 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.55 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. Choice Hotels International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.920-7.140 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Choice Hotels International will post 7.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.2875 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 1st. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 14.52%.

Choice Hotels International Company Profile

Choice Hotels International, Inc is a hospitality franchisor specializing in the development and support of lodging brands across the economy, midscale and upscale segments. Through a network of franchisees, Choice Hotels supplies proprietary reservation and distribution systems, comprehensive marketing programs, and operational support services. The company’s core activities include brand management, franchise development, and technology-driven revenue optimization tools designed to enhance guest acquisition and retention for its partners.

Founded in 1939 as Quality Courts United, the company rebranded to Choice Hotels International in 1982 to reflect its expanding brand portfolio and global ambitions.