Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) Short Interest Down 6.9% in July

Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) saw a significant decline in short interest during the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 6,350,000 shares, a decline of 6.9% from the July 15th total of 6,820,000 shares. Approximately 23.7% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 515,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 12.3 days.

Choice Hotels International Price Performance

Shares of CHH opened at $122.59 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $122.28 and a two-hundred day moving average of $120.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 177.75. Choice Hotels International has a twelve month low of $108.91 and a twelve month high of $134.44. The company has a market cap of $5.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.23.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported $1.84 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.86 by ($0.02). Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 15.34% and a return on equity of 748.46%. The business had revenue of $435.20 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $438.29 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.75 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Choice Hotels International will post 6.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Choice Hotels International news, insider Robert J. Mcdowell sold 1,243 shares of Choice Hotels International stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 38,502 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,527,065.16. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, insider Robert J. Mcdowell sold 1,243 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.58, for a total transaction of $146,151.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now 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 is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 13,117 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, July 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.45, for a total value of $1,632,410.65. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 69,171 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,608,330.95. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 27,619 shares of company stock valued at $3,436,998 over the last ninety days. 24.02% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Choice Hotels International

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Choice Hotels International by 19.2% during the 4th quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 3,870 shares of the company’s stock valued at $439,000 after purchasing an additional 623 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International during the fourth quarter valued at $24,000,000. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International in the 4th quarter valued at $793,000. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Choice Hotels International in the 4th quarter worth $45,000. Finally, Duality Advisers LP lifted its position in Choice Hotels International by 50.6% during the 4th quarter. Duality Advisers LP now owns 32,954 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,734,000 after acquiring an additional 11,078 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on CHH shares. Truist Financial lowered their price target on Choice Hotels International from $146.00 to $144.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded Choice Hotels International from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and set a $120.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $137.00 to $134.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 12th. Susquehanna assumed coverage on shares of Choice Hotels International in a report on Friday, June 21st. They set a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 target price on the stock. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $126.00 to $125.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 9th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $130.18.

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.