Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) Stock Price Down 5.8% – Time to Sell?

Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)’s share price fell 5.8% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $135.42 and last traded at $136.11. 126,168 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 70% from the average session volume of 424,775 shares. The stock had previously closed at $144.54.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CHH has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of 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. Bank of America raised their price target on Choice Hotels International from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $118.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Choice Hotels International from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Choice Hotels International from $131.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $140.67.

Choice Hotels International Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $6.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.25. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $145.85 and its 200-day moving average price is $140.34.

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

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.2875 per share. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.46%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 32,014 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,622,821.60. The trade was a 5.27 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 68,913 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,219,797.90. This trade represents a 4.83 % 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 company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Choice Hotels International

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in CHH. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Choice Hotels International by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,423,373 shares of the company’s stock worth $344,070,000 after buying an additional 8,362 shares during the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp grew its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 949,586 shares of the company’s stock valued at $134,822,000 after purchasing an additional 9,490 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in Choice Hotels International by 38.5% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 402,293 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,419,000 after purchasing an additional 111,903 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Choice Hotels International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $48,201,000. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 69.8% in the 4th quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 292,836 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,577,000 after purchasing an additional 120,376 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

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.