Norden Group LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Norden Group LLC raised its position in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 5.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,500 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 223 shares during the quarter. Norden Group LLC’s holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $639,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sanctuary Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Choice Hotels International by 33.4% in the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 16,834 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,193,000 after buying an additional 4,219 shares during the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 30.1% during the third quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 14,889 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,940,000 after purchasing an additional 3,446 shares during the last quarter. Twelve Points Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $879,000. Erste Asset Management GmbH purchased a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International during the third quarter worth approximately $19,545,000. Finally, Congress Asset Management Co. raised its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 17.3% during the fourth quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 82,131 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,661,000 after purchasing an additional 12,128 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

Choice Hotels International Stock Performance

Choice Hotels International stock opened at $143.93 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.23. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $108.91 and a fifty-two week high of $157.86. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $145.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $139.64.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last posted its earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $389.77 million for 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 7.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.2875 per share. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. Choice Hotels International’s payout ratio is currently 18.46%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Choice Hotels International from $118.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Choice Hotels International from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $150.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Bank of America upped their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $139.92.

Insider Activity at Choice Hotels International

In related news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.30, for a total transaction of $519,050.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 68,913 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,219,797.90. This trade represents a 4.83 % 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. Corporate insiders own 24.02% of the company’s stock.

Choice Hotels International 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.