Congress Asset Management Co. MA Purchases 11,581 Shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Congress Asset Management Co. MA lifted its position in shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 29.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 50,479 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,581 shares during the quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. MA’s holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $6,378,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vima LLC acquired a new stake in Choice Hotels International in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Choice Hotels International in the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International during the 4th quarter worth about $48,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 105.8% during the 4th quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 885 shares of the company’s stock worth $100,000 after purchasing an additional 455 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AdvisorShares Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International during the 4th quarter worth about $137,000. 65.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Choice Hotels International Price Performance

Choice Hotels International stock traded up $0.82 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $118.06. 803,122 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 391,476. The company’s fifty day moving average is $116.75 and its 200-day moving average is $117.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 177.75, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.37. The firm has a market cap of $5.69 billion, a PE ratio of 25.33, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.22. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $108.91 and a 52 week high of $136.02.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The company reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.15 by $0.13. Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 15.34% and a return on equity of 748.46%. The business had revenue of $331.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $343.04 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.12 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 6.44 EPS for the current year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 1st will be given a dividend of $0.2875 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 1st. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.97%. Choice Hotels International’s payout ratio is currently 24.68%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CHH has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Choice Hotels International from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $96.00 to $156.00 in a research note on Monday, March 11th. Susquehanna began coverage on shares of Choice Hotels International in a research note on Friday. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price target on the stock. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $140.00 to $137.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. Truist Financial decreased their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $146.00 to $144.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $122.00 to $114.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 19th. Three 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $129.09.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Choice Hotels International news, insider Robert J. Mcdowell sold 1,243 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.58, for a total transaction of $146,151.94. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 38,502 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,527,065.16. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 24.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.