Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group

The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) in a report published on Wednesday, MarketBeat reports. The brokerage issued a sell rating and a $105.00 price objective on the stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on the stock. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $114.00 to $112.00 and set an underweight rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $144.00 to $134.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. Susquehanna began coverage on shares of Choice Hotels International in a research note on Friday, June 21st. They issued a neutral rating and a $125.00 price objective for the company. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $137.00 to $134.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered shares of Choice Hotels International from a neutral rating to an underweight rating and set a $120.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Choice Hotels International currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $127.25.

Choice Hotels International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CHH opened at $130.03 on Wednesday. Choice Hotels International has a fifty-two week low of $108.91 and a fifty-two week high of $134.44. The stock has a market cap of $6.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.90, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 177.75, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 0.99. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $125.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $121.76.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported $1.84 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.86 by ($0.02). Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 15.42% and a negative return on equity of 3,953.67%. The business had revenue of $435.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $438.29 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.75 EPS. Choice Hotels International’s revenue was up 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Choice Hotels International will post 6.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 1st will be paid a $0.2875 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.88%. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio is 24.68%.

Insider Activity at Choice Hotels International

In related news, insider Patrick Cimerola sold 13,259 shares of Choice Hotels International stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.08, for a total value of $1,658,435.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 23,461 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,934,501.88. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other Choice Hotels International news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 13,117 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.45, for a total value of $1,632,410.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 69,171 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,608,330.95. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Patrick Cimerola sold 13,259 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.08, for a total transaction of $1,658,435.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 23,461 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,934,501.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 36,401 shares of company stock worth $4,497,556. Corporate insiders own 24.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new position in Choice Hotels International in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,502,000. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. bought a new position in Choice Hotels International in the 2nd quarter valued at $799,000. Algert Global LLC bought a new position in Choice Hotels International in the 2nd quarter valued at $387,000. Sepio Capital LP lifted its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 4.2% during the 2nd quarter. Sepio Capital LP now owns 10,844 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,290,000 after acquiring an additional 433 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 106.1% during the 2nd quarter. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC now owns 8,403 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,000,000 after acquiring an additional 4,326 shares during the last quarter. 65.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.