Natixis Advisors LLC Sells 3,059 Shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Natixis Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 1.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 154,910 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,059 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $21,994,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Boston Trust Walden Corp raised its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 949,586 shares of the company’s stock valued at $134,822,000 after buying an additional 9,490 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 38.5% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 402,293 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,419,000 after buying an additional 111,903 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Choice Hotels International during the 4th quarter valued at $48,201,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 279,149 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,634,000 after buying an additional 2,725 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Erste Asset Management GmbH bought a new stake in Choice Hotels International during the 3rd quarter valued at $19,545,000. 65.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Choice Hotels International

In related news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.30, for a total transaction of $519,050.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 68,913 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,219,797.90. This represents a 4.83 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.40, for a total transaction of $257,032.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 32,014 shares in the company, valued at $4,622,821.60. This trade represents a 5.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 24.02% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CHH has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $131.00 to $139.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $150.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $140.67.

Choice Hotels International Price Performance

NYSE:CHH opened at $132.48 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $144.72 and its 200-day moving average price is $140.48. The company has a market capitalization of $6.19 billion, a PE ratio of 21.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.25. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $109.22 and a 1-year high of $157.86.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $389.77 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $374.24 million. Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 18.91% and a negative return on equity of 472.31%. Equities analysts anticipate that Choice Hotels International, Inc. 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 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $0.2875 per share. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.46%.

About Choice Hotels International

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.