Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV Lowers Stock Holdings in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV trimmed its position in shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 28.2% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 2,446 shares of the company’s stock after selling 960 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV’s holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $347,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 30.3% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 370 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the period. Tortoise Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 55.8% in the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 430 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the period. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International in the 4th quarter valued at about $62,000. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ boosted its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 836.2% in the 4th quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 440 shares of the company’s stock valued at $62,000 after buying an additional 393 shares during the period. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International in the 4th quarter valued at about $65,000. 65.57% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Choice Hotels International Stock Up 0.4%

CHH opened at $126.78 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $5.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.00. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $109.22 and a 52 week high of $157.86. The business’s 50 day moving average is $127.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $139.21.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $332.86 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $348.52 million. Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 18.91% and a negative return on equity of 472.31%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.28 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 7.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be issued a $0.2875 dividend. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.91%. Choice Hotels International’s payout ratio is currently 17.56%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.30, for a total value of $519,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 68,913 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,219,797.90. The trade was a 4.83% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 24.02% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on CHH. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $130.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. StockNews.com cut Choice Hotels International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 15th. Barclays decreased their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $132.00 to $111.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on 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. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Choice Hotels International from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $141.00 to $138.00 in a research note on Monday, April 14th. 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $135.69.

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.