Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) Upgraded by The Goldman Sachs Group to Buy Rating

The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) from a sell rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Monday morning, MarketBeat.com reports. The firm currently has $138.00 target price on the stock, down from their prior target price of $141.00.

Several other research analysts have also recently commented on the company. Barclays raised their target price on Choice Hotels International from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Choice Hotels International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 15th. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Choice Hotels International from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $132.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $131.00 to $139.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned 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 an average price target of $139.15.

Choice Hotels International Price Performance

NYSE CHH opened at $126.70 on Monday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $137.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $140.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.08. Choice Hotels International has a 52-week low of $109.22 and a 52-week high of $157.86.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.10. The firm 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 expect that Choice Hotels International will post 7.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a $0.2875 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.91%. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.46%.

Insider Activity at Choice Hotels International

In other news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of Choice Hotels International stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.30, for a total value of $519,050.00. Following the completion of 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.40, for a total value of $257,032.00. Following the sale, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 24.02% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Choice Hotels International

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA boosted its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 3,562 shares of the company’s stock valued at $506,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 12,944 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,838,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 30.3% in 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. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its stake in Choice Hotels International by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 2,069 shares of the company’s stock valued at $294,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP grew its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP now owns 3,062 shares of the company’s stock worth $435,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the period. 65.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.