Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc. (NYSE:RHP) Short Interest Update

Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc. (NYSE:RHP) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 3,333,794 shares, a growth of 21.6% from the December 15th total of 2,742,260 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 407,634 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 8.2 days. Approximately 5.6% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Approximately 5.6% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 407,634 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 8.2 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on RHP. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $131.00 target price on shares of Ryman Hospitality Properties in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Barclays set a $109.00 price objective on shares of Ryman Hospitality Properties in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Evercore ISI cut their target price on shares of Ryman Hospitality Properties from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ryman Hospitality Properties in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Ryman Hospitality Properties from $114.00 to $109.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 1st. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $110.27.

Ryman Hospitality Properties Trading Up 0.1%

Ryman Hospitality Properties stock traded up $0.09 during trading on Monday, reaching $94.79. 376,110 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 357,449. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $94.91 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $94.97. The company has a market capitalization of $5.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.08, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.98, a current ratio of 1.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49. Ryman Hospitality Properties has a 52-week low of $76.27 and a 52-week high of $108.42.

Ryman Hospitality Properties (NYSE:RHP) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.04. Ryman Hospitality Properties had a return on equity of 34.50% and a net margin of 9.58%.The business had revenue of $592.46 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $573.40 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.93 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Ryman Hospitality Properties will post 8.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ryman Hospitality Properties Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were paid a $1.20 dividend. This is a positive change from Ryman Hospitality Properties’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.1%. Ryman Hospitality Properties’s dividend payout ratio is currently 126.98%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ryman Hospitality Properties news, Chairman Colin V. Reed purchased 8,993 shares of Ryman Hospitality Properties stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The stock was bought at an average price of $92.16 per share, with a total value of $828,794.88. Following the acquisition, the chairman owned 888,010 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $81,839,001.60. This trade represents a 1.02% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 5.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Hamlin Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Ryman Hospitality Properties by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC now owns 894,486 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $88,259,000 after buying an additional 6,530 shares during the period. Peregrine Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ryman Hospitality Properties by 4,049.6% in the 2nd quarter. Peregrine Capital Management LLC now owns 56,144 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $5,540,000 after purchasing an additional 54,791 shares in the last quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Ryman Hospitality Properties during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $776,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Ryman Hospitality Properties in the 2nd quarter valued at $344,000. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its position in shares of Ryman Hospitality Properties by 699.4% in the 2nd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 38,805 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $3,829,000 after buying an additional 33,951 shares during the last quarter. 94.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Ryman Hospitality Properties

Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc is a publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT) specializing in the ownership and operation of group‐oriented, large convention center hotel resorts. The company’s portfolio is anchored by its Gaylord Hotels brand, offering integrated resort, convention, entertainment and dining experiences under long‐term management agreements with Marriott International.

Ryman’s flagship properties include Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center near Dallas/Fort Worth and Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.