JPMorgan Chase & Co. Sells 51,298 Shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. $CHH

JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased its position in shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 12.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 352,422 shares of the company’s stock after selling 51,298 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $37,679,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Alps Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 42.4% in the third quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 40,577 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,338,000 after purchasing an additional 12,082 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 99.2% during the second quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 53,980 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,849,000 after buying an additional 26,880 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC acquired a new position in Choice Hotels International in the 2nd quarter valued at about $5,020,000. Entropy Technologies LP grew its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 546.7% in the second quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 10,987 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,394,000 after purchasing an additional 9,288 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rock Creek Group LP increased its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 52.3% during the second quarter. Rock Creek Group LP now owns 811,579 shares of the company’s stock worth $102,973,000 after acquiring an additional 278,715 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $91.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target 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. UBS Group dropped their target price on Choice Hotels International from $120.00 to $118.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Truist Financial set a $126.00 price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Choice Hotels International from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $111.93.

Insider Activity at Choice Hotels International

In related news, SVP Simone Wu sold 8,080 shares of the 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,956,432.68. This represents a 14.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 23.78% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Choice Hotels International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CHH opened at $105.27 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.02 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.52, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $104.45 and its 200-day simple moving average is $103.47. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $84.04 and a 12 month high of $147.51.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The company reported $1.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.56 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $390.15 million during 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.55 EPS. Choice Hotels International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.920-7.140 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 7.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 1st will be paid 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 of this dividend is Wednesday, April 1st. Choice Hotels International’s payout ratio is 14.52%.

Choice Hotels International 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.