Jefferies Financial Group Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) Stock

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) had its price target lifted by equities researchers at Jefferies Financial Group from $150.00 to $152.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “hold” rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s price target indicates a potential upside of 6.20% from the company’s current price.

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on CHH. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Choice Hotels International in a report on Thursday, December 5th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $133.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $134.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $134.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $118.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Choice Hotels International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Choice Hotels International presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $134.36.

Choice Hotels International Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of CHH traded up $1.44 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $143.13. The company had a trading volume of 118,670 shares, compared to its average volume of 452,793. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $144.64 and a 200-day simple moving average of $132.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 177.75. The stock has a market cap of $6.71 billion, a PE ratio of 27.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.23. Choice Hotels International has a 1-year low of $108.91 and a 1-year high of $153.81.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.92 by $0.31. Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 16.27% and a negative return on equity of 659.01%. The firm had revenue of $428.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $432.62 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.82 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Choice Hotels International will post 6.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Patrick Pacious sold 26,816 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.69, for a total transaction of $3,880,007.04. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 404,666 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $58,551,123.54. This trade represents a 6.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Robert J. Mcdowell sold 8,712 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.99, for a total transaction of $1,176,032.88. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 38,502 shares in the company, valued at $5,197,384.98. This represents a 18.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 53,572 shares of company stock valued at $7,562,444. 24.02% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Choice Hotels International

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Tortoise Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 129.4% in the second quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 250 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 81.4% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 399 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Choice Hotels International in the third quarter valued at about $55,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International during the third quarter worth about $63,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC purchased a new position in Choice Hotels International in the 2nd quarter valued at about $69,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

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.