Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Trims Stake in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans decreased its position in shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH – Get Rating) by 3.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 7,449 shares of the company’s stock after selling 292 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $839,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in CHH. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 3.3% in the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 75,694 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,730,000 after buying an additional 2,427 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates grew its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 146.6% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 3,650 shares of the company’s stock worth $517,000 after buying an additional 2,170 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE grew its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 4.3% in the 1st quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,716 shares of the company’s stock worth $385,000 after buying an additional 112 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 9.2% in the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,583 shares of the company’s stock worth $225,000 after buying an additional 134 shares during the period. Finally, Natixis Advisors L.P. grew its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 14,088 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,997,000 after buying an additional 215 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.03% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Choice Hotels International news, Director William L. Jews sold 2,214 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.46, for a total value of $264,484.44. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 23,389 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,794,049.94. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, SVP Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,680 shares of Choice Hotels International stock in a transaction on Monday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.05, for a total transaction of $211,764.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 33,394 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,209,313.70. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director William L. Jews sold 2,214 shares of Choice Hotels International stock in a transaction on Friday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.46, for a total transaction of $264,484.44. Following the transaction, the director now owns 23,389 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,794,049.94. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 4,642 shares of company stock valued at $570,459. Insiders own 23.07% of the company’s stock.

Choice Hotels International Trading Down 4.6 %

Shares of CHH stock opened at $113.40 on Wednesday. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $104.15 and a 12-month high of $133.13. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 29.25. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $121.28 and its 200 day moving average is $120.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.27.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH – Get Rating) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 9th. The company reported $1.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.04. Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 21.50% and a return on equity of 129.67%. The company had revenue of $333.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $320.43 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.03 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 29.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 19th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 5th will be given a $0.287 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 3rd. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.01%. Choice Hotels International’s payout ratio is 19.83%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on CHH. StockNews.com began coverage on Choice Hotels International in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. TheStreet downgraded shares of Choice Hotels International from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 9th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $130.00 to $134.00 in a research report on Friday, May 12th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $122.00 to $113.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 30th. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $120.00 to $119.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 10th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $122.38.

Choice Hotels International Profile

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Choice Hotels International, Inc engages in the franchising and operations of hotels. It operates through Hotel Franchising, and Corporate and Other segments. The Hotel Franchising segment refers to the hotel franchising operations consisting of the company’s several hotel brands. The Corporate and Other segment deals with hotel revenues and rental income related to office buildings owned by the company.