Sepio Capital LP Sells 401 Shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Sepio Capital LP cut its stake in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 3.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,583 shares of the company’s stock after selling 401 shares during the quarter. Sepio Capital LP’s holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $1,503,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of CHH. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 30.3% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 370 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the period. Anchor Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International during the third quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 55.8% in the fourth quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 430 shares of the company’s stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ lifted its position in Choice Hotels International by 836.2% during the fourth quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 440 shares of the company’s stock valued at $62,000 after buying an additional 393 shares during the period. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International in the 4th quarter worth about $62,000. 65.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Choice Hotels International Stock Performance

CHH opened at $123.22 on Monday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $141.53 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $141.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.78, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.08. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $81.34 and a 52-week high of $157.86.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.10. Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 18.91% and a negative return on equity of 472.31%. The firm had revenue of $389.77 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $374.24 million. Research analysts forecast 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.46%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on CHH shares. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Choice Hotels International from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $132.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, March 24th. StockNews.com lowered Choice Hotels International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 15th. Susquehanna boosted their target price on Choice Hotels International from $130.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Choice Hotels International from $150.00 to $152.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target 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. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $140.62.

Insider Buying and Selling at Choice Hotels International

In other news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 68,913 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,219,797.90. This represents a 4.83 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of the firm’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 transaction of $257,032.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 32,014 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,622,821.60. The trade was a 5.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 24.02% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.