Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (NYSE:WH) Stock Price Up 5.6% on Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Shares of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:WH) rose 5.6% on Thursday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The company traded as high as $76.45 and last traded at $76.01. Approximately 340,407 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 49% from the average daily volume of 661,490 shares. The stock had previously closed at $71.96.

The company reported $0.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.75 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $305.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $308.24 million. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts had a return on equity of 39.91% and a net margin of 20.74%. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts’s revenue was down 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.86 earnings per share.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were given a dividend of $0.38 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This is an increase from Wyndham Hotels & Resorts’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.00%. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts’s dividend payout ratio is presently 44.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on WH shares. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on Wyndham Hotels & Resorts from $87.00 to $86.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 19th. StockNews.com started coverage on Wyndham Hotels & Resorts in a research report on Friday, April 19th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on Wyndham Hotels & Resorts from $90.00 to $87.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $88.00.

Insider Activity at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

In related news, CAO Nicola Rossi sold 3,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.00, for a total value of $252,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 11,404 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $900,916. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 2.79% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WH. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new stake in shares of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts during the 4th quarter worth about $2,011,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in shares of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts by 150.2% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,001,611 shares of the company’s stock worth $347,812,000 after acquiring an additional 3,002,259 shares in the last quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts by 31.5% during the 3rd quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 77,229 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,371,000 after acquiring an additional 18,511 shares in the last quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts by 53.3% during the 3rd quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 66,851 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,649,000 after acquiring an additional 23,253 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LRT Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts by 31.2% during the 3rd quarter. LRT Capital Management LLC now owns 66,605 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,632,000 after acquiring an additional 15,843 shares in the last quarter. 93.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Stock Performance

The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $75.72 and its 200-day moving average price is $76.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.90, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.15 billion, a PE ratio of 21.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 1.35.

About Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Inc operates as a hotel franchisor in the United States and internationally. It operates through Hotel Franchising and Hotel Management segments. The Hotel Franchising segment licenses its lodging brands and provides related services to third-party hotel owners and others.