Updating your Cyclical-Growth Payers: Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

Article Excerpt

WYNDHAM HOTELS & RESORTS INC. $78 is a buy. The company (New York symbol WH; Cyclical-Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 83.0 million; Market cap: $6.5 billion; Dividend yield: 1.8%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.wyndhamhotels.com) is the world’s largest hotel franchiser, with 9,100 hotels in more than 95 countries. Wyndham last raised your quarterly dividend by 9.4% with the March 2023 payment to $0.35 a share from $0.32. The new annual rate of $1.40 yields 1.8%. The company recently rejected an unsolicited takeover offer from rival Choice Hotels International, Inc. (New York symbol CHH). The offer, worth $90.00 per Wyndham share, consisted of $49.50 a share in cash (55% of the total) and 45% in Choice Hotel stock. Even without a takeover, Wyndham’s prospects remain bright as travel volumes rebound from COVID-19 lockdowns. In the quarter ended September 30, 2023, revenue fell 1.2%, to $402 million from $407 million a year earlier. That drop is due to Wyndham’s exit from its select-service management business and owned hotels. However,…