SEC Form SC 13G/A filed by Choice Hotels International Inc. (Amendment)
$CHH
Hotels/Resorts
Consumer Discretionary
UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE
13G
Under
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(Amendment No.
16)*
Choice Hotels International, Inc.
(Name
of Issuer)
Common Stock
169905106
Calendar Year 2023
Check the appropriate box to designate the rule pursuant to which this Schedule is filed:
x
Rule
13d-1(b)
o
Rule
13d-1(c)
o
Rule
13d-1(d)
*
The remainder of this cover page shall be filled out for a reporting person’s
initial filing on this form with respect to the subject class of securities,
and for any subsequent amendment containing information which would alter the
disclosures provided in a prior cover page.
The
information required in the remainder of this cover page shall not be deemed to
be “filed” for the purpose of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934 (“Act”) or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section of the Act
but shall be subject to all other provisions of the Act (however, see the
Notes).
| CUSIP No. | 169905106 |
| 1 | NAMES OF REPORTING PERSONS I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NOS. OF ABOVE PERSONS (ENTITIES ONLY) | ||||
| BAMCO INC /NY/ 521209792 | |||||
| 2 | CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP (SEE
INSTRUCTIONS) | ||||
| (a) o | |||||
| (b) x | |||||
| 3 | SEC USE ONLY | ||||
| 4 | CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION | ||||
| New York | |||||
| NUMBER OF SHARES BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON WITH: | 5 | SOLE VOTING POWER | |||
| 0 | |||||
| 6 | SHARED VOTING POWER | ||||
| 4,259,999 | |||||
| 7 | SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER | ||||
| 0 | |||||
| 8 | SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER | ||||
| 4,537,999 | |||||
| 9 | AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON | ||||
| 4,537,999 | |||||
| 10 | CHECK IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES (SEE INSTRUCTIONS) | ||||
| o | |||||
| 11 | PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (9) | ||||
| 9.11% | |||||
| 12 | TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON (SEE INSTRUCTIONS) | ||||
| IA , CO | |||||
FOOTNOTES | |||||
| CUSIP No. | 169905106 |
| 1 | NAMES OF REPORTING PERSONS I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NOS. OF ABOVE PERSONS (ENTITIES ONLY) | ||||
| Baron Capital Group, Inc. 521209792 | |||||
| 2 | CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP (SEE
INSTRUCTIONS) | ||||
| (a) o | |||||
| (b) x | |||||
| 3 | SEC USE ONLY | ||||
| 4 | CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION | ||||
| New York | |||||
| NUMBER OF SHARES BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON WITH: | 5 | SOLE VOTING POWER | |||
| 20,000 | |||||
| 6 | SHARED VOTING POWER | ||||
| 4,512,297 | |||||
| 7 | SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER | ||||
| 20,000 | |||||
| 8 | SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER | ||||
| 4,790,297 | |||||
| 9 | AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON | ||||
| 4,810,297 | |||||
| 10 | CHECK IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES (SEE INSTRUCTIONS) | ||||
| o | |||||
| 11 | PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (9) | ||||
| 9.66% | |||||
| 12 | TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON (SEE INSTRUCTIONS) | ||||
| HC , CO | |||||
FOOTNOTES | |||||
| CUSIP No. | 169905106 |
| 1 | NAMES OF REPORTING PERSONS I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NOS. OF ABOVE PERSONS (ENTITIES ONLY) | ||||
| Baron Capital Management, Inc. 521209792 | |||||
| 2 | CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP (SEE
INSTRUCTIONS) | ||||
| (a) o | |||||
| (b) x | |||||
| 3 | SEC USE ONLY | ||||
| 4 | CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION | ||||
| New York | |||||
| NUMBER OF SHARES BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON WITH: | 5 | SOLE VOTING POWER | |||
| 20,000 | |||||
| 6 | SHARED VOTING POWER | ||||
| 252,298 | |||||
| 7 | SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER | ||||
| 20,000 | |||||
| 8 | SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER | ||||
| 252,298 | |||||
| 9 | AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON | ||||
| 272,298 | |||||
| 10 | CHECK IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES (SEE INSTRUCTIONS) | ||||
| o | |||||
| 11 | PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (9) | ||||
| 0.55% | |||||
| 12 | TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON (SEE INSTRUCTIONS) | ||||
| IA , CO | |||||
FOOTNOTES | |||||
| CUSIP No. | 169905106 |
| 1 | NAMES OF REPORTING PERSONS I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NOS. OF ABOVE PERSONS (ENTITIES ONLY) | ||||
| Ronald Baron 521209792 | |||||
| 2 | CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP (SEE
INSTRUCTIONS) | ||||
| (a) o | |||||
| (b) x | |||||
| 3 | SEC USE ONLY | ||||
| 4 | CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION | ||||
| New York | |||||
| NUMBER OF SHARES BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON WITH: | 5 | SOLE VOTING POWER | |||
| 53,500 | |||||
| 6 | SHARED VOTING POWER | ||||
| 4,512,297 | |||||
| 7 | SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER | ||||
| 53,500 | |||||
| 8 | SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER | ||||
| 4,790,297 | |||||
| 9 | AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON | ||||
| 4,843,797 | |||||
| 10 | CHECK IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES (SEE INSTRUCTIONS) | ||||
| o | |||||
| 11 | PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (9) | ||||
| 9.73% | |||||
| 12 | TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON (SEE INSTRUCTIONS) | ||||
| HC , IN | |||||
FOOTNOTES | |||||
| CUSIP No. | 169905106 |
| 1 | NAMES OF REPORTING PERSONS I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NOS. OF ABOVE PERSONS (ENTITIES ONLY) | ||||
| Baron Growth Fund 521209792 | |||||
| 2 | CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP (SEE
INSTRUCTIONS) | ||||
| (a) o | |||||
| (b) x | |||||
| 3 | SEC USE ONLY | ||||
| 4 | CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION | ||||
| New York | |||||
| NUMBER OF SHARES BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON WITH: | 5 | SOLE VOTING POWER | |||
| 0 | |||||
| 6 | SHARED VOTING POWER | ||||
| 3,025,000 | |||||
| 7 | SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER | ||||
| 0 | |||||
| 8 | SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER | ||||
| 3,025,000 | |||||
| 9 | AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON | ||||
| 3,025,000 | |||||
| 10 | CHECK IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES (SEE INSTRUCTIONS) | ||||
| o | |||||
| 11 | PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (9) | ||||
| 6.07% | |||||
| 12 | TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON (SEE INSTRUCTIONS) | ||||
| IV | |||||
FOOTNOTES | |||||
Item
1.
(a) | Name
of Issuer |
Choice Hotels International Inc. |
(b) | Address
of Issuer’s Principal Executive Offices |
1 Choice Hotels Circle, Suite 400
Rockville, MD, 20850 |
Item
2.
(a) | Name
of Person Filing |
Baron Capital Group, Inc. ("BCG")
BAMCO, Inc. ("BAMCO") Baron Capital Management, Inc. ("BCM") Ronald Baron Baron Growth Fund ("BGF") |
(b) | Address
of Principal Business Office or, if none, Residence |
767 Fifth Avenue, 49th Floor
New York, NY 10153 |
(c) | Citizenship |
BCG, BAMCO, and BCM are New York corporations. BGF is a series of a Massachusetts business trust. Ronald Baron is a citizen of the United States. |
(d) | Title
of Class of Securities |
Common Stock |
(e) | CUSIP
Number |
169905106 |
Item
3. | If
this statement is filed pursuant to §§240.13d-1(b) or 240.13d-2(b) or (c),
check whether the person filing is a: |
(a) | o | Broker
or dealer registered under section 15 of the Act (15 U.S.C. 78o). |
(b) | o | Bank
as defined in section 3(a)(6) of the Act (15 U.S.C. 78c). |
(c) | o |
Insurance company as defined in section 3(a)(19) of the Act (15 U.S.C. 78c).
|
(d) | x | Investment
company registered under section 8 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (15
U.S.C 80a-8). |
(e) | x | An
investment adviser in accordance with §240.13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(E); |
(f) | o | An
employee benefit plan or endowment fund in accordance with
§240.13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(F); |
(g) | x | A
parent holding company or control person in accordance with §
240.13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(G); |
(h) | o | A
savings associations as defined in Section 3(b) of the Federal Deposit
Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. 1813); |
(i) | o | A
church plan that is excluded from the definition of an investment company under
section 3(c)(14) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. 80a-3); |
(j) | o | A non-U.S. institution in accordance with § 240.13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(J). |
(k) | o |
A group, in accordance with § 240.13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(K). If filing as a non-U.S. institution in accordance with § 240.13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(J), please specify
the type of institution:
|
Item
4. | Ownership. |
Provide
the following information regarding the aggregate number and percentage of the
class of securities of the issuer identified in Item 1.
(a) |
Amount beneficially owned:
4,843,797 |
(b) |
Percent of class: 9.73% |
(c) | Number
of shares as to which the person has: |
(i) |
Sole power to vote or to direct the vote:
53,500 |
(ii) |
Shared power to vote or to direct the vote:
4,512,297 |
(iii) |
Sole power to dispose or to direct the disposition of:
53,500 |
(iv) |
Shared power to dispose or to direct the disposition of:
4,790,297 |
Item
5. | Ownership
of Five Percent or Less of a Class |
If
this statement is being filed to report the fact that as of the date hereof the
reporting person has ceased to be the beneficial owner of more than five
percent of the class of securities, check the following
o
.
N/A
Item
6. | Ownership
of More than Five Percent on Behalf of Another Person. |
The advisory clients of BAMCO and BCM have the right to receive or the power to direct the receipt of dividends from, or the proceeds from the sale of, the Issuer's common stock in their accounts. To the best of the Filing Persons' knowledge, no such person has such interest relating to more than 5% of the outstanding class of securities.
Item
7. | Identification
and Classification of the Subsidiary Which Acquired the Security Being Reported
on By the Parent Holding Company |
BAMCO and BCM are subsidiaries of BCG. BGF is an advisory client of BAMCO. Ronald Baron owns a controlling interest in BCG.
Item
8. | Identification
and Classification of Members of the Group |
See Item 3.
Item
9. | Notice
of Dissolution of Group |
Not applicable.
Item
10. | Certification |
| By signing below I certify that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, the securities referred to above were acquired and are held in the ordinary course of business and were not acquired and are not held for the purpose of or with the effect of changing or influencing the control of the issuer of the securities and were not acquired and are not held in connection with or as a participant in any transaction having that purpose or effect, other than activities solely in connection with a nomination under §240.14a-11. |
SIGNATURE
After
reasonable inquiry and to the best of my knowledge and belief, I certify that
the information set forth in this statement is true, complete and correct.
| BAMCO, Inc. | |||
Date:
February 14, 2024 | By:
| /s/ Ronald Baron | |
| Name: Ronald Baron | |||
| Title: Chairman and CEO | |||
| Baron Capital Group, Inc. | |||
Date:
February 14, 2024 | By:
| /s/ Ronald Baron | |
| Name: Ronald Baron | |||
| Title: Chairman and CEO | |||
| Baron Capital Management, Inc. | |||
Date:
February 14, 2024 | By:
| /s/ Ronald Baron | |
| Name: Ronald Baron | |||
| Title: Chairman and CEO | |||
| Ronald Baron | |||
Date:
February 14, 2024 | By:
| /s/ Ronald Baron | |
| Name: Ronald Baron | |||
| Title: Individually | |||
| Baron Growth Fund | |||
Date:
February 14, 2024 | By:
| /s/ Ronald Baron | |
| Name: Ronald Baron | |||
| Title: CEO | |||
Footnotes: |
Attention: | Intentional
misstatements or omissions of fact constitute Federal criminal violations (See
18 U.S.C. 1001) |