Dividend Increase for WYN Investors

Article Excerpt

WYNDHAM WORLDWIDE CORP. $84 (New York symbol WYN; Cyclical-Growth Payer Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 105.6 million; Market cap: $8.9 billion; Dividend yield: 2.8%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.wyndhamworldwide.com) is one of the world’s largest hospitality companies, with 8,040 franchised hotels globally. The company also manages vacation resorts, rental properties, luxury clubs and timeshares. It currently has around 112,000 vacation-rental properties in 100 countries. The company will raise its quarterly dividend by 16.0%, starting with the March 2017 payment. Investors will now receive $0.58 a share. That’s up from $0.50 and makes for an annual yield of 2.8%. Wyndham continues to expand quickly with its purchase of resorts and hotels in fast-growing markets such as India. It also aims to acquire more hotels in Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region. The company’s recent buys have increased its goodwill and intangible assets to $2.7 billion, or 30% of its market cap. That leaves it vulnerable to writedowns if demand for vacation…