Choice Hotels (NYSE: CHH) reported Q1 EPS of $0.57, $0.03 worse than the analyst estimate of $0.60. Revenue for the quarter came in at $182.95 million versus the consensus estimate of $200.24 million.

Highlights of first quarter and year-to-date 2021 results include:1

• Domestic systemwide revenue per available room (RevPAR) change outperformed the total industry by 23 percentage points, declining 18.7% and 4.4% for first quarter 2021 compared to the same periods of 2019 and 2020, respectively.
• The company's performance has continued the trend of sequential domestic systemwide RevPAR change improvement, with April 2021 RevPAR declining approximately 4.2% versus April 2019 and increasing 140% from April 2020.
• The company's Board of Directors reinstated the dividend at the pre-pandemic rate and declared a cash dividend on the company's common stock of $0.225 per share. The dividend is payable on July 16, 2021 to stockholders of record on July 1, 2021. The Board has also approved the resumption of the company's share repurchase program.
• The company awarded 89 domestic franchise agreements in first quarter 2021, a 53% increase compared to the same period of the prior year. Over 80% of the agreements awarded in the first quarter were for conversion hotels.
• Net income was $22.3 million for first quarter 2021, representing diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.40.
• First quarter adjusted net income, excluding certain items described in Exhibit 7, decreased 26% to $31.6 million from first quarter 2020.
• Adjusted diluted EPS were $0.57, a decrease of 25% from first quarter 2020.
• Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) for the first quarter were $63.1 million, an 11% decrease from first quarter 2020. First quarter adjusted EBITDA margin increased 330 basis points to 69% from first quarter 2020.

"The strategic decisions we have made in recent years and our targeted actions amid the pandemic to support our franchisees drove impressive first quarter results that position the company to further capitalize on growth opportunities in 2021 and beyond," said Patrick Pacious, president and chief executive officer, Choice Hotels. "Our results are a testament to the success of our long-term growth strategy to invest in brands built for the customer of tomorrow. We believe our high-quality, well-segmented brand portfolio, compelling franchisee value proposition and the continued expansion of our travel platform, combined with our strong balance sheet, will allow us to continue to grow our share of travel demand in the years to come."

For earnings history and earnings-related data on Choice Hotels (CHH) click here.