Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (NYSE:WH) CEO Sells 19,295 Shares of Company Stock

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (NYSE:WH) CEO Geoffrey Ballotti sold 19,295 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.69, for a total value of $1,421,848.55. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 550,457 shares in the company, valued at approximately $40,563,176.33. The trade was a 3.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts stock traded up $0.45 during trading on Monday, reaching $76.05. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,609,518 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,311,175. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.53. The company has a market cap of $5.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.67. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts has a 1-year low of $66.87 and a 1-year high of $90.35. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $72.06 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $77.97.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (NYSE:WH) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.07. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts had a return on equity of 74.22% and a net margin of 14.67%. The firm had revenue of $375.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $400.75 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.33 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.710-4.830 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Wyndham Hotels & Resorts will post 4.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were paid a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts’s dividend payout ratio is presently 63.24%.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, September 29th that authorizes the company to buy back $400.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 7.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Commerce Bank acquired a new position in shares of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts in the second quarter worth about $3,115,000. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC grew its position in shares of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts by 177.2% during the 1st quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC now owns 18,926 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,537,000 after acquiring an additional 12,098 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in shares of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts during the 2nd quarter valued at about $8,823,000. Corient Private Wealth LP acquired a new stake in shares of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,689,000. Finally, Heartland Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts during the 2nd quarter valued at about $4,553,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.46% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Freedom Broker initiated coverage on shares of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts in a research note on Wednesday, October 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $88.00 price objective for the company. Susquehanna cut their target price on Wyndham Hotels & Resorts from $90.00 to $80.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $80.00 target price on shares of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Wyndham Hotels & Resorts from $100.00 to $97.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Wyndham Hotels & Resorts from $96.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $95.08.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Company Profile

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Inc is a global hotel franchising company that provides lodging brands, operating support and related services to hotel owners and operators. Rather than owning and managing most of its properties directly, the company primarily operates an asset-light franchise model in which independent hotel owners use Wyndham’s brands, reservation systems, marketing programs, technology and operational resources.

The company’s portfolio spans economy and midscale lodging, as well as select upscale and extended-stay concepts.