Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:WH) Sees Large Decrease in Short Interest

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:WH - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,030,000 shares, a decline of 35.4% from the December 15th total of 3,140,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 791,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.6 days. Currently, 2.7% of the company's stock are sold short.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts stock traded up $0.30 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $101.27. The company's stock had a trading volume of 486,810 shares, compared to its average volume of 713,464. The stock has a market cap of $7.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.19, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 0.97. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts has a twelve month low of $67.67 and a twelve month high of $105.16. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $99.26 and a 200-day moving average of $85.41.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (NYSE:WH - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $396.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $408.32 million. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts had a net margin of 18.29% and a return on equity of 51.79%. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts's revenue was down 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.31 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Wyndham Hotels & Resorts will post 4.29 EPS for the current year.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 27th. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th were issued a $0.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 13th. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.50%. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts's dividend payout ratio is presently 48.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on WH. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Wyndham Hotels & Resorts from $92.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Wyndham Hotels & Resorts from $99.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on Wyndham Hotels & Resorts from $90.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. StockNews.com raised shares of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $108.10.

Insider Activity at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

In other news, Director Stephen P. Holmes sold 80,000 shares of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.01, for a total transaction of $7,280,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 366,371 shares of the company's stock, valued at $33,343,424.71. The trade was a 17.92 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Scott R. Strickland sold 2,850 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.14, for a total transaction of $251,199.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 26,062 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,297,104.68. This represents a 9.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 97,850 shares of company stock valued at $8,881,849 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 2.79% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in shares of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts by 7.0% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 15,495 shares of the company's stock worth $1,147,000 after acquiring an additional 1,010 shares during the period. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 37,401 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,768,000 after buying an additional 338 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts during the second quarter worth about $290,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Wyndham Hotels & Resorts by 48.1% in the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 91,173 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,747,000 after acquiring an additional 29,611 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its stake in Wyndham Hotels & Resorts by 42.1% in the second quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 362,472 shares of the company's stock worth $26,823,000 after acquiring an additional 107,368 shares during the last quarter. 93.46% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Company Profile

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Inc engages in the franchise and operation of hotels under the Wyndham brand. It operates through the following segments: Hotel Franchising, Hotel Management, and Corporate and Other. The Hotel Franchising segment focuses on licensing the company's lodging brands and providing related services to third-party hotel owners and others.