Freedom Broker Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) Stock

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) had its price target upped by investment analysts at Freedom Broker from $117.00 to $130.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “hold” rating on the stock. Freedom Broker‘s price objective points to a potential upside of 9.53% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on CHH. Wedbush set a $130.00 target price on shares of Choice Hotels International in a research report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings lowered Choice Hotels International from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $92.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Susquehanna increased their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $119.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $115.46.

Choice Hotels International Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:CHH traded up $0.85 on Thursday, hitting $118.69. 805,876 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 569,720. Choice Hotels International has a 12 month low of $84.04 and a 12 month high of $123.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.65. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $105.17 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $107.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.52, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 0.93.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 2nd. The company reported $2.33 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.29 by $0.04. Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 12.65% and a return on equity of 216.71%. The firm had revenue of $458.33 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $447.56 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.10 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Choice Hotels International will post 6.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 2,000 shares of Choice Hotels International stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.35, for a total value of $240,700.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 31,172 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,751,550.20. This trade represents a 6.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director William L. Jews sold 5,057 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.98, for a total value of $540,997.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 23,987 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,566,129.26. The trade was a 17.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 8,284 shares of company stock valued at $919,122 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 23.87% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Choice Hotels International

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 1.7% during the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 669,693 shares of the company’s stock valued at $73,847,000 after buying an additional 11,366 shares during the last quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH raised its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 360,728 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,942,000 after acquiring an additional 1,172 shares in the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP raised its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 35.5% during the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 258,355 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,740,000 after acquiring an additional 67,697 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its position in Choice Hotels International by 1,009.6% during the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 139,550 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,445,000 after acquiring an additional 126,973 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SummitTX Capital L.P. lifted its position in Choice Hotels International by 247.3% during the first quarter. SummitTX Capital L.P. now owns 125,122 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,950,000 after acquiring an additional 89,096 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

About Choice Hotels International

Choice Hotels International, Inc is a global lodging franchisor that licenses its hotel brands to independent owners and operators. The company supports its franchisees through brand standards, reservation and distribution systems, marketing, loyalty programs, technology, and operational services rather than primarily owning and operating hotels itself.

Its portfolio includes brands serving a range of price points and travel needs, including Comfort, Quality Inn, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Econo Lodge, MainStay Suites, Suburban Studios, WoodSpring Suites, Cambria Hotels, and the Ascend Hotel Collection.