Ervin R. Shames Sells 2,000 Shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) Stock

Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) Director Ervin R. Shames sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.56, for a total transaction of $259,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 52,212 shares in the company, valued at $6,764,586.72. This represents a 3.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Choice Hotels International Stock Down 1.3%

Choice Hotels International stock opened at $131.13 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $6.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.00. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $109.22 and a 52 week high of $157.86. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $127.17 and its 200 day moving average price is $138.94.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.38 by ($0.04). Choice Hotels International had a negative return on equity of 472.31% and a net margin of 18.91%. The firm had revenue of $332.86 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $348.52 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.28 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up .3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 7.07 EPS for the current year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be issued a $0.2875 dividend. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 1st. Choice Hotels International’s payout ratio is currently 17.56%.

Institutional Trading of Choice Hotels International

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CHH. Trust Co. of Vermont grew its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 34.0% in the fourth quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 1,045 shares of the company’s stock valued at $148,000 after purchasing an additional 265 shares during the period. Diversify Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 38.3% during the 4th quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,300 shares of the company’s stock worth $465,000 after purchasing an additional 914 shares during the last quarter. Ironwood Wealth Management LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International during the 4th quarter worth about $216,000. Genesis Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International during the 4th quarter worth about $262,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International during the 4th quarter worth about $125,000. 65.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CHH has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $136.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Barclays decreased their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $132.00 to $111.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. StockNews.com downgraded Choice Hotels International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 15th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on Choice Hotels International from $154.00 to $133.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic raised Choice Hotels International from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $132.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $133.38.

Choice Hotels International Company Profile

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.