Lower dividends will help them recover

Article Excerpt

Reduced travel volumes due to COVID-19 forced these two firms to cut their dividends to protect investor value. That savings, along with their strong brands and quality properties, sets them up for a rebound as the economy re-opens. WYNDHAM DESTINATIONS INC. $30 is still a buy. Through the stock (New York symbol WYND; Cyclical-Growth Payer Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares o/s: 85.3 million; Market cap: $2.6 billion; Divd. yield: 4.0%; Divd. Sustainability Rating: Average, www.wyndhamdestinations.com) investors tap the world’s largest vacation ownership and exchange company. It operates 230 timeshare resorts with 880,000 owners. Its Wyndham Vacation Clubs segment generates 69% of its revenue. Its vacation exchange business, now called Panorama, generates 31%. With the September 2020 payment, Wyndham Destinations cut its dividend by 40%. Based on an annual dividend payment of $1.20, it currently yields 4.0%. The company spent the month of June gradually reopening its resorts. By the end of the month, it had opened 85% of them. It had also resumed sales of vacation ownership interests…