Choice Hotels International reports Q1 2024 results

Highlights include:

• Net income was $31.0 million for the first quarter of 2024, representing diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.62. As a result of one-time items, including due diligence and transaction pursuit costs, and the timing of net reimbursable expenses, net income and diluted EPS were 41 per cent and 39 per cent lower, respectively, for first quarter 2024 compared to the same period of 2023.

• First quarter 2024 adjusted net income, excluding certain items described in Exhibit 7, increased 9 per cent to $63.7 million compared to the same period of 2023, and adjusted diluted EPS increased 14 per cent to a first quarter record of $1.28 compared to the same period of 2023.

• Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) for first quarter 2024 grew to $124.3 million, a first quarter record and a 17 per cent increase compared to the same period of 2023.

• Global pipeline as of March 31, 2024, increased 10 per cent to a company record of over 115,000 rooms from December 31, 2023, including a 36 per cent increase in the global pipeline for conversion rooms. Domestic rooms pipeline as of March 31, 2024, increased by 11 per cent since December 31, 2023, highlighted by a 59 per cent increase for conversion rooms.

• In March 2024, the company's board of directors approved an increase in the number of shares authorized under its share repurchase program by 5 million shares. The company has repurchased 1.5 million shares of common stock for $196.6 million year-to-date through April 30, 2024.

• In April 2024, the company further strengthened its revenue-intense portfolio by relaunching Park Inn by Radisson, a premium conversion brand for the value-conscious traveler positioned just below the Quality Inn brand, with the brand's first opening expected in third quarter 2024.

• The company increased its guidance for diluted EPS and reiterated its guidance for net income, adjusted EBITDA, and adjusted diluted EPS for full-year 2024.

"Building on our record 2023 financial results, we drove first quarter performance to new levels, with adjusted EBITDA and EPS increasing by 17 per cent and 14 per cent, year-over-year, respectively," says Patrick Pacious, president and chief executive officer. "These impressive results demonstrate that we are unlocking the revenue synergies from the Radisson Americas acquisition, which has meaningfully enhanced our growth profile and opened new incremental earnings streams. Looking ahead, we are confident that our versatile business model with multiple drivers positions us well to deliver continued earnings growth and create shareholder value."

Financial Performance

• Total revenues were $331.9 million for the first quarter of 2024, a 0.3 per cent decrease compared to the same period of 2023. For first quarter 2024, compared to the same period of 2023, revenues, excluding reimbursable revenue from franchised and managed properties, calculated as total revenues net of reimbursable revenue of $129 million, increased 16 per cent to $203 million.

• Royalty, licensing, and management fees totaled $105.5 million for first quarter 2024 compared to $107.5 million for the same period of 2023.

• First quarter 2024 domestic effective royalty rate increased 4 basis points to 5.03 per cent compared to the same period of 2023.

• Domestic revenue per available room (RevPAR) decreased 590 basis points for the three months ended March 31, 2024, compared to the same period of 2023, in part reflecting the timing of Easter weekend and tougher year-over-year comparisons. Domestic RevPAR increased 8.2 per cent for the three month period ended March 31, 2024 compared to the same period of 2019.

Development

• The company's domestic upscale, extended stay, and midscale portfolio reported a 1.2 per cent increase for hotels and 0.9 per cent increase for rooms since March 31, 2023. The domestic extended stay hotels portfolio grew by 17.4 per cent since March 31, 2023, driven by increases in each of the segment's brands. The company's total domestic system size increased to over 6,200 hotels and over 494,000 rooms as of March 31, 2024.

• The international portfolio, as of March 31, 2024, expanded by 1.3 per cent in the number of hotels and by 2.3 per cent in the number of rooms from March 31, 2023. As of March 31, 2024, the international rooms pipeline increased by 3 per cent from December 31, 2023, and the company more than doubled the number of international rooms in the pipeline since March 31, 2023.

• The company opened an average of over four hotels per week for a total of 55 hotel openings in first quarter 2024, a 20 per cent increase compared to the same period of 2023. Of the domestic franchise agreements executed for conversion hotels over the trailing twelve months ending March 31, 2024, 113 opened in the same year, a 43 per cent increase over the comparable period of the prior year.

• Total domestic franchise agreements for the company's upscale, extended stay, and midscale brands executed in the first quarter increased by 7 per cent compared to the same period of 2023—and constituted 92 per cent of total domestic franchise agreements awarded in 2024. Of the total domestic franchise agreements awarded in the first quarter 2024, 80 per cent were for conversion hotels.

Shareholder Returns

During the three months ended March 31, 2024, the company paid cash dividends totaling $14.7 million.

During the three months ended March 31, 2024, the company repurchased approximately 0.4 million shares of common stock for $60.6 million under its stock repurchase program—through repurchases from employees in connection with tax withholding, and option exercises relating to awards under the company's equity incentive plans. An additional 1.1 million shares of common stock have been repurchased year-to-date through April 30, 2024 for $136.0 million.

As of April 30, 2024, the company had 5.3 million shares of common stock remaining under the current share repurchase authorization.