Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Makes New Investment in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new position in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 13,681 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,817,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International in the fourth quarter valued at $48,201,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. increased its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 69.8% in 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 in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International in the fourth quarter valued at $15,354,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International in the fourth quarter valued at $10,779,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 85.5% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 134,188 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,052,000 after buying an additional 61,849 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on CHH shares. Susquehanna set a $140.00 price target on Choice Hotels International and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on Choice Hotels International from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Choice Hotels International from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $141.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Monday, April 14th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $160.00 to $149.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Choice Hotels International in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. They set an “underweight” rating and a $124.00 price objective for the company. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Choice Hotels International has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $134.38.

Insider Transactions at Choice Hotels International

In other Choice Hotels International news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.45, for a total value of $341,125.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 68,381 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,330,587.45. This trade represents a 3.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Ervin R. Shames sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.56, for a total value of $259,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 52,212 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,764,586.72. The trade was a 3.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 14,500 shares of company stock worth $1,906,520. 23.78% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Choice Hotels International Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of NYSE:CHH opened at $130.57 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $129.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $133.48. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $116.20 and a 12-month high of $157.86. The firm has a market cap of $6.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.93, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.96.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last issued its quarterly 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). Choice Hotels International had a negative return on equity of 377.51% and a net margin of 19.75%. The business had revenue of $332.86 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $348.52 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.28 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast 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 paid a $0.2875 dividend. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 1st. Choice Hotels International’s payout ratio is 17.56%.

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.