Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) Shares Sold by Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH

Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH lessened its stake in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 1.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 355,887 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,116 shares during the quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH owned about 0.76% of Choice Hotels International worth $50,529,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 11.5% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 12,609 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,500,000 after acquiring an additional 1,296 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 4.1% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 675,142 shares of the company’s stock valued at $80,340,000 after purchasing an additional 26,289 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. increased its position in Choice Hotels International by 35.1% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 30,201 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,594,000 after purchasing an additional 7,842 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Choice Hotels International by 58.1% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,159 shares of the company’s stock worth $530,000 after purchasing an additional 1,528 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can boosted its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 5.9% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 6,586 shares of the company’s stock valued at $791,000 after purchasing an additional 365 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

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

Choice Hotels International Stock Performance

NYSE CHH opened at $144.11 on Wednesday. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a one year low of $108.91 and a one year high of $153.81. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $144.60 and a 200-day simple moving average of $134.84. The firm has a market cap of $6.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.61, a PEG ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.24.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.23 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 the consensus estimate of $432.62 million. Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 16.27% and a negative return on equity of 659.01%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.82 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 6.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd were given a $0.2875 dividend. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 2nd. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.03%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Susquehanna raised their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. StockNews.com raised Choice Hotels International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted 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. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “underweight” rating and set a $129.00 price target (down from $145.00) on shares of Choice Hotels International in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $138.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Choice Hotels International has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $133.27.

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.