Choice Hotels CEO sells $3.88 million in stock By Investing.com

Patrick Pacious, President and CEO of Choice Hotels International Inc . (NYSE:), recently executed a series of stock transactions, according to a recent SEC filing. On November 6, Pacious sold a total of 26,816 shares of the company’s common stock, with sales prices ranging from $144.63 to $147.82 per share. These sales generated approximately $3.88 million in proceeds.

In addition to these sales, Pacious exercised stock options to acquire 26,816 shares at a price of $81.55 per share. Following these transactions, he holds 404,666 shares of the company. The transactions were conducted under a pre-arranged 10b5-1 trading plan.

In other recent news, Choice Hotels International, Inc. reported strong third-quarter performance, significantly increasing its adjusted EBITDA and earnings per share (EPS). The company also raised its full-year guidance for adjusted net income and EPS, projecting a 10% growth in adjusted EBITDA. The global hotel pipeline of Choice Hotels expanded by 11%, reaching over 110,000 rooms. The company also opened 75% more hotels globally compared to the same period last year and reported a 1.8% net increase in global rooms in more revenue-intensive brands.

Analyst firms have given mixed reviews to these recent developments. Baird maintained an Outperform rating on Choice Hotels and raised its price target to $145, reflecting confidence in the company’s performance. Contrarily, Jefferies downgraded its rating from Buy to Hold, while Goldman Sachs maintained a Sell rating despite increasing the price target. These assessments are based on factors such as the company’s EBITDA, EPS, and free cash flow yield, as well as the growth of its global hotel pipeline.

The company’s future prospects remain a topic of interest in the market, with the focus being on key indicators like revenue per available room (RevPAR) growth, net unit growth, and free cash flow conversion. Despite the mixed analyst outlook, the company’s recent performance and future growth potential make it a noteworthy player in the hospitality industry.

InvestingPro Insights

Choice Hotels International Inc. (NYSE:CHH) has been demonstrating strong financial performance, as evidenced by recent InvestingPro data. The company boasts an impressive gross profit margin of 89.74% for the last twelve months as of Q3 2024, reflecting its operational efficiency. This aligns with one of the InvestingPro Tips highlighting CHH’s “impressive gross profit margins.”

The stock’s recent performance has been particularly noteworthy, with a 25.02% price total return over the past six months and a 30.51% return over the past year. This upward trajectory is consistent with another InvestingPro Tip indicating a “strong return over the last three months” and that the stock is “trading near 52-week high.”

Despite CEO Patrick Pacious’s recent stock sales, it’s worth noting that management has been “aggressively buying back shares,” according to an InvestingPro Tip. This could signal confidence in the company’s future prospects and potentially support the stock price.

For investors seeking a deeper understanding of Choice Hotels International’s financial health and market position, InvestingPro offers 11 additional tips not mentioned here. These insights could provide valuable context for interpreting executive transactions and the company’s overall trajectory.

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