Caprock Group LLC Makes New Investment in Choice Hotels International, Inc. $CHH

Caprock Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm bought 4,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $509,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Kilter Group LLC acquired a new stake in Choice Hotels International in the second quarter valued at $25,000. Whittier Trust Co. increased its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 138.5% in the 2nd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 291 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 23.6% in the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 434 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $100,000. Finally, Claret Asset Management Corp lifted its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 6.6% during the second quarter. Claret Asset Management Corp now owns 1,817 shares of the company’s stock worth $231,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on CHH. Weiss Ratings raised Choice Hotels International from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Argus reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Choice Hotels International in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. UBS Group dropped their price target on Choice Hotels International from $120.00 to $118.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Choice Hotels International in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $84.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $122.00 to $110.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Choice Hotels International currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $109.15.

Choice Hotels International Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE CHH opened at $109.79 on Wednesday. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $84.04 and a 12-month high of $157.86. The company has a market cap of $5.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.62 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.81. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $101.88 and its 200 day simple moving average is $104.04.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.2875 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 2nd. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Choice Hotels International’s payout ratio is 14.13%.

Insider Activity at Choice Hotels International

In related news, SVP Simone Wu sold 8,080 shares of Choice Hotels International stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.56, for a total value of $820,604.80. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 48,803 shares in the company, valued at $4,956,432.68. This trade represents a 14.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 24.02% 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.