Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) Hits New 1-Year High on Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) shares hit a new 52-week high on Thursday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The stock traded as high as $157.86 and last traded at $155.45, with a volume of 42025 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $147.69.

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 16.27% and a negative return on equity of 659.01%. The business had revenue of $389.77 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $374.24 million.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.2875 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.76%. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.03%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CHH has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $118.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $134.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $138.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Choice Hotels International currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $136.58.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Choice Hotels International

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. 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 purchasing an additional 8,362 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp grew its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 949,586 shares of the company’s stock valued at $134,822,000 after buying an additional 9,490 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 38.5% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 402,293 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,419,000 after buying an additional 111,903 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Choice Hotels International during the fourth quarter valued at $48,201,000. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. raised its position in Choice Hotels International by 69.8% during the fourth quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 292,836 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,577,000 after buying an additional 120,376 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

Choice Hotels International Price Performance

The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $145.10 and a 200 day simple moving average of $138.38. The stock has a market cap of $7.06 billion, a PE ratio of 28.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.23.

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.