Aurora Investment Managers LLC. Lowers Holdings in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Aurora Investment Managers LLC. lowered its holdings in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 4.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,939 shares of the company’s stock after selling 526 shares during the quarter. Aurora Investment Managers LLC.’s holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $1,695,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 81.4% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 399 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International during the third quarter valued at about $55,000. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $63,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 12.9% in the 3rd quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 843 shares of the company’s stock worth $110,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Trust Co. of Vermont boosted its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 34.0% during the 4th quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 1,045 shares of the company’s stock worth $148,000 after purchasing an additional 265 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CHH has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Choice Hotels International from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Choice Hotels International from $138.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Barclays lifted their target price on Choice Hotels International from $123.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Choice Hotels International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Choice Hotels International currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $133.27.

Insider Activity at Choice Hotels International

In related news, CEO Patrick Pacious sold 7,192 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.95, for a total transaction of $1,042,480.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 404,666 shares in the company, valued at $58,656,336.70. This trade represents a 1.75 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 24.02% of the company’s stock.

Choice Hotels International Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of CHH stock opened at $141.82 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $6.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.17, a PEG ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.24. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $144.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $134.66. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $108.91 and a 12 month high of $153.81.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.31. The business had revenue of $428.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $432.62 million. Choice Hotels International had a negative return on equity of 659.01% and a net margin of 16.27%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.82 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 6.84 EPS for the current year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 2nd were given a $0.2875 dividend. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 2nd. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.03%.

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.