Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) Earns “Underweight” Rating from Morgan Stanley

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH)‘s stock had its “underweight” rating restated by research analysts at Morgan Stanley in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. They presently have a $129.00 price objective on the stock, down from their previous price objective of $145.00. Morgan Stanley’s price objective suggests a potential downside of 9.06% from the company’s current price.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $123.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $113.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $134.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. StockNews.com raised Choice Hotels International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $150.00 to $152.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $133.27.

Choice Hotels International Price Performance

Shares of Choice Hotels International stock opened at $141.85 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.17, a PEG ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.24. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $144.81 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $133.99. Choice Hotels International has a 12 month low of $108.91 and a 12 month high of $153.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 177.75, a current ratio of 0.71 and a quick ratio of 0.71.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.92 by $0.31. Choice Hotels International had a negative return on equity of 659.01% and a net margin of 16.27%. The company had revenue of $428.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $432.62 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.82 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Choice Hotels International will post 6.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Choice Hotels International

In related news, CEO Patrick Pacious sold 7,192 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.95, for a total transaction of $1,042,480.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 404,666 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $58,656,336.70. This trade represents a 1.75 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 24.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 77.2% in the 2nd quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 4,105,796 shares of the company’s stock valued at $488,590,000 after buying an additional 1,788,563 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH acquired a new position in Choice Hotels International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $19,545,000. Raymond James & Associates increased its stake in Choice Hotels International by 45.4% during the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 364,983 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,557,000 after purchasing an additional 113,951 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Choice Hotels International by 38.5% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 402,293 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,419,000 after purchasing an additional 111,903 shares during the period. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 51.5% during the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 266,950 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,767,000 after purchasing an additional 90,765 shares in the last quarter. 65.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Choice Hotels International Company Profile

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.