Royal Bank of Canada Sells 15,607 Shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Royal Bank of Canada reduced its position in shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 9.4% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 150,624 shares of the company’s stock after selling 15,607 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada’s holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $21,385,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in CHH. Ironwood Wealth Management LLC. bought a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International during the fourth quarter valued at about $216,000. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International during the fourth quarter valued at about $125,000. KBC Group NV raised its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 3,087.2% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 21,195 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,009,000 after purchasing an additional 20,530 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 23.6% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 5,340 shares of the company’s stock worth $758,000 after purchasing an additional 1,021 shares during the period. Finally, Twelve Points Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International during the 4th quarter worth $879,000. 65.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on CHH. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Choice Hotels International from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $132.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Bank of America lifted their target price on Choice Hotels International from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Choice Hotels International from $124.00 to $115.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Truist Financial boosted their target price on Choice Hotels International from $136.00 to $144.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on Choice Hotels International from $154.00 to $133.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $133.38.

Insider Buying and Selling at Choice Hotels International

In related news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.30, for a total value of $519,050.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 68,913 shares in the company, valued at $10,219,797.90. The trade was a 4.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.40, for a total value of $257,032.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 32,014 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,622,821.60. The trade was a 5.27% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 7,280 shares of company stock worth $1,035,202 over the last three months. 23.78% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Choice Hotels International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CHH opened at $128.56 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $127.02 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $138.67. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a one year low of $109.22 and a one year high of $157.86. The company has a market cap of $5.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.64, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.00.

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

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be given a dividend of $0.2875 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 1st. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.89%. Choice Hotels International’s payout ratio is presently 17.56%.

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.