Choice Hotels International Beats Estimates on Top and Bottom Lines
Choice Hotels International (NYS: CHH) reported earnings on Feb. 21. Here are the numbers you need to know.
The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended Dec. 31 (Q4), Choice Hotels International beat slightly on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.
Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue expanded and GAAP earnings per share improved.
Gross margins contracted, operating margins increased, and net margins dropped.
Revenue details
Choice Hotels International booked revenue of $165.9 million. The 10 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ predicted revenue of $163.8 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 7.0% higher than the prior-year quarter's $155.0 million.
Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.
EPS details
Non-GAAP EPS came in at $0.46. The 18 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ predicted $0.44 per share on the same basis. GAAP EPS of $0.42 for Q4 were 5.0% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.40 per share.
Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.
Margin details
For the quarter, gross margin was 44.7%, 4,750 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 25.5%, 560 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 14.9%, 70 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.
Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $122.2 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.31.
Next year's average estimate for revenue is $664.2 million. The average EPS estimate is $2.05.
Investor sentiment
The stock has a one-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 63 members out of 81 rating the stock outperform, and 18 members rating it underperform. Among 37 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 29 give Choice Hotels International a green thumbs-up, and eight give it a red thumbs-down.
Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Choice Hotels International is hold, with an average price target of $35.
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At the time thisarticle was published Seth Jayson had no position in any company mentioned here at the time of publication. You can view his stock holdings here. He is co-advisor ofMotley Fool Hidden Gems, which provides new small-cap ideas every month, backed by a real-money portfolio. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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