Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ Has $136,000 Stock Position in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ lifted its stake in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 133.2% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 1,026 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 586 shares during the period. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ’s holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $136,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in Choice Hotels International by 66.2% during the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 256 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the period. HM Payson & Co. acquired a new stake in Choice Hotels International during the 1st quarter worth about $35,000. Signaturefd LLC boosted its position in Choice Hotels International by 64.7% during the 1st quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 275 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the period. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its position 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 worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the period. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. boosted its position in Choice Hotels International by 521.1% during the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 472 shares of the company’s stock worth $67,000 after acquiring an additional 396 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

Choice Hotels International Stock Performance

CHH opened at $130.57 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $129.13 and a 200 day moving average price of $133.48. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $116.20 and a twelve month high of $157.86. The firm has a market cap of $6.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.96.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $1.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.38 by ($0.04). Choice Hotels International had a negative return on equity of 377.51% and a net margin of 19.75%. The company had revenue of $332.86 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $348.52 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.28 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 7.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st were given a $0.2875 dividend. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 1st. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.56%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $154.00 to $133.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Susquehanna set a $140.00 price objective on Choice Hotels International and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Choice Hotels International from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $141.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on Choice Hotels International from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on Choice Hotels International in a report on Monday, June 23rd. They set an “underweight” rating and a $124.00 price target for the company. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $134.38.

Insider Activity at Choice Hotels International

In other Choice Hotels International news, Director Ervin R. Shames sold 2,000 shares of Choice Hotels International stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.56, for a total value of $259,120.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 52,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,764,586.72. The trade was a 3.69% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 5,000 shares of Choice Hotels International stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.54, for a total value of $642,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 70,881 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,111,043.74. This represents a 6.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 14,500 shares of company stock worth $1,906,520. Company insiders own 23.78% 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.