Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) Given Average Rating of “Reduce” by Analysts

Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) has earned a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the fourteen ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $110.00.

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Choice Hotels International from $91.00 to $83.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $120.00 to $118.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Choice Hotels International from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Choice Hotels International from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd.

Choice Hotels International Stock Performance

NYSE CHH opened at $100.78 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $104.02 and a 200 day moving average price of $100.70. The company has a market capitalization of $4.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.72, a PEG ratio of 4.52 and a beta of 0.75. Choice Hotels International has a 1-year low of $84.04 and a 1-year high of $136.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.52, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.87.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The company reported $1.60 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.56 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $390.15 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $369.26 million. Choice Hotels International had a return on equity of 541.07% and a net margin of 23.17%.Choice Hotels International’s quarterly revenue was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.55 earnings per share. Choice Hotels International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.920-7.140 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Choice Hotels International will post 7.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $0.2875 per share. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 1st. Choice Hotels International’s payout ratio is currently 14.52%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Choice Hotels International news, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,603 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.00, for a total transaction of $160,300.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 37,172 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,717,200. This represents a 4.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Simone Wu sold 8,080 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.56, for a total value of $820,604.80. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 48,803 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,956,432.68. The trade was a 14.20% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 10,283 shares of company stock worth $1,040,947. 23.78% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Choice Hotels International

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CHH. Kilter Group LLC acquired a new position in Choice Hotels International in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. purchased a new position in Choice Hotels International in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International during the third quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 6,416.7% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 391 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 385 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

Choice Hotels International Company Profile

Choice Hotels International, Inc is a hospitality franchisor specializing in the development and support of lodging brands across the economy, midscale and upscale segments. Through a network of franchisees, Choice Hotels supplies proprietary reservation and distribution systems, comprehensive marketing programs, and operational support services. The company’s core activities include brand management, franchise development, and technology-driven revenue optimization tools designed to enhance guest acquisition and retention for its partners.

Founded in 1939 as Quality Courts United, the company rebranded to Choice Hotels International in 1982 to reflect its expanding brand portfolio and global ambitions.