Rock Creek Group LP Sells 23,500 Shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Rock Creek Group LP trimmed its position in shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 2.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,023,079 shares of the company’s stock after selling 23,500 shares during the period. Choice Hotels International accounts for approximately 12.3% of Rock Creek Group LP’s holdings, making the stock its 2nd biggest position. Rock Creek Group LP owned approximately 2.18% of Choice Hotels International worth $145,257,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International during the third quarter valued at $55,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Choice Hotels International by 55.8% during the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 430 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the period. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ raised its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 836.2% during the 4th quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 440 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,000 after buying an additional 393 shares in the last quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $62,000. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International in the third quarter valued at approximately $63,000. Institutional investors own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on CHH. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Choice Hotels International from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Choice Hotels International from $138.00 to $137.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Choice Hotels International from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $132.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their target price on Choice Hotels International from $136.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $140.62.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of the 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 transaction, 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 filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were 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 directly owns 32,014 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,622,821.60. This represents a 5.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 24.02% of the company’s stock.

Choice Hotels International Stock Performance

NYSE:CHH opened at $131.35 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $142.97 and its 200-day moving average is $140.80. The company has a market cap of $6.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.08, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.25. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $109.22 and a 52-week high of $157.86.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.10. Choice Hotels International had a negative return on equity of 472.31% and a net margin of 18.91%. The firm had revenue of $389.77 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $374.24 million. Equities analysts predict that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 7.07 EPS for the current year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 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 of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.46%.

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.