Weight Watchers is the better buy

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WYNDHAM WORLDWIDE $83.55 (New York symbol WYN; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (973-753-6000; www.wyndhamworldwide.com; Shares outstanding: 105.0 million; Market cap: $8.7 billion; Dividend yield: 2.8%) is one of the world’s largest hospitality companies, with 8,040 franchised hotels around the world. The company also manages vacation resorts, rental properties, luxury clubs and timeshares. It currently has around 112,000 vacation-rental properties in 100 countries. In the three months ended December 31, 2016, Wyndham’s revenue rose slightly, to $1.32 billion from $1.31 billion a year earlier. The modest growth was due to price competition in international markets and a higher U.S. dollar. Earnings rose 17.1%, to $164.0 million from $140.0 million; that was mostly due to lower expenses. Wyndham hikes its dividend by 16% The company continues to buy back its stock, including the 2.1 million shares it repurchased for $150 million in the latest quarter. That’s why per-share earnings rose 26.2%, to $1.53 from $1.21. Wyndham raised its quarterly dividend by 16.0% with the March 2017 payment,…