Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) Upgraded at The Goldman Sachs Group

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) was upgraded by The Goldman Sachs Group from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The firm currently has a $138.00 target price on the stock, down from their prior target price of $141.00. The Goldman Sachs Group’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 10.47% from the company’s current price.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on CHH. 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 research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Choice Hotels International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Bank of America upped their price target on Choice Hotels International from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Susquehanna raised their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $130.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on Choice Hotels International from $154.00 to $133.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $139.15.

Choice Hotels International Stock Up 1.6 %

CHH opened at $124.92 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $5.84 billion, a PE ratio of 20.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.08. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $137.95 and a 200-day simple moving average of $140.62. Choice Hotels International has a fifty-two week low of $109.22 and a fifty-two week high of $157.86.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $389.77 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $374.24 million. Choice Hotels International had a negative return on equity of 472.31% and a net margin of 18.91%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Choice Hotels International will post 7.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.30, for a total value 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 trade represents a 4.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.40, for a total value of $257,032.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 32,014 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Quantinno Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Choice Hotels International during the 3rd quarter valued at $368,000. MML Investors Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 13.6% in the third quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 6,692 shares of the company’s stock valued at $872,000 after buying an additional 802 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in Choice Hotels International during the third quarter worth about $395,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Choice Hotels International during the third quarter valued at about $55,000. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its stake in Choice Hotels International by 33.4% during the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 16,834 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,193,000 after acquiring an additional 4,219 shares during the period. 65.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.