Huntington National Bank Purchases 101 Shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Huntington National Bank grew its position in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 4.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,267 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank’s holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $295,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Versor Investments LP acquired a new position in Choice Hotels International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $860,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Choice Hotels International by 42.0% during the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,481 shares of the company’s stock worth $323,000 after buying an additional 734 shares in the last quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 20.2% during the 3rd quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 2,288 shares of the company’s stock worth $298,000 after buying an additional 385 shares during the last quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $281,000. Finally, Atria Investments Inc increased its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 22.2% in the third quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 19,953 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,600,000 after acquiring an additional 3,623 shares during the last quarter. 65.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Simone Wu sold 7,840 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.08, for a total value of $1,019,827.20. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 45,669 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,940,623.52. This trade represents a 14.65 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Patrick Pacious sold 26,816 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.69, for a total transaction of $3,880,007.04. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 404,666 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $58,551,123.54. This represents a 6.21 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 71,437 shares of company stock worth $9,788,980. Corporate insiders own 24.02% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CHH has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Choice Hotels International from $105.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. StockNews.com raised shares of Choice Hotels International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $112.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Choice Hotels International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $150.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $126.00 to $125.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Choice Hotels International currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $130.00.

Choice Hotels International Price Performance

Choice Hotels International stock opened at $146.23 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.01, a PEG ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 1.24. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $134.40 and its 200-day moving average is $125.59. The company has a current ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 177.75. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $108.91 and a 12 month high of $149.75.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.31. The firm had revenue of $428.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $432.62 million. Choice Hotels International had a negative return on equity of 659.01% and a net margin of 16.27%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.82 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 6.83 EPS for the current year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st were given a dividend of $0.2875 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.79%. Choice Hotels International’s payout ratio is presently 22.03%.

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.