Empowered Funds LLC Makes New Investment in Wyndham Hotels & Resorts $WH

Key Points

• Empowered Funds LLC acquired 23,002 Wyndham Hotels & Resorts shares worth approximately $1.94 million in the second quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 93.46% of the company.
• Wyndham reported quarterly EPS of $1.48, exceeding estimates by $0.07, although revenue fell 5.5% year over year to $375 million, below analyst expectations.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.43 per share, equivalent to a 2.4% annual yield. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $95.91, while shares recently traded at $71.06.

Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (NYSE:WH - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 23,002 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,937,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of WH. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts in the second quarter valued at $623,573,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in Wyndham Hotels & Resorts during the fourth quarter valued at about $219,462,000. Bank of Montreal Can grew its holdings in Wyndham Hotels & Resorts by 14,200.0% during the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 2,562,843 shares of the company's stock worth $193,648,000 after acquiring an additional 2,544,921 shares during the period. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. grew its holdings in Wyndham Hotels & Resorts by 191.9% during the fourth quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 2,109,034 shares of the company's stock worth $159,359,000 after acquiring an additional 1,386,569 shares during the period. Finally, Findlay Park Partners LLP acquired a new position in Wyndham Hotels & Resorts during the second quarter worth about $100,648,000. 93.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

In other news, CEO Geoffrey Ballotti sold 19,414 shares of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.71, for a total value of $1,411,591.94. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 549,323 shares of the company's stock, valued at $39,941,275.33. This trade represents a 3.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 2.33% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts stock opened at $71.06 on Friday. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts has a 12-month low of $69.21 and a 12-month high of $90.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.27 billion, a PE ratio of 26.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.62. 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 stock's fifty day moving average is $76.55 and its 200-day moving average is $79.79.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (NYSE:WH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $375.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $400.75 million. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts had a return on equity of 74.22% and a net margin of 14.67%.Wyndham Hotels & Resorts's revenue for the quarter was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.33 EPS. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.710-4.830 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Wyndham Hotels & Resorts will post 4.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a $0.43 dividend. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.24%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts from $96.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Susquehanna dropped their target price on shares of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts from $90.00 to $80.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "neutral" rating and set a $80.00 target price on shares of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $95.91.

About Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Inc NYSE: WH is a leading global hospitality company specializing in hotel franchising and management. Established in 2018 through the spin-off of Wyndham Hotel Group from Wyndham Worldwide, the company focuses on the development, marketing and distribution of hotel brands designed to meet the needs of business and leisure travelers. Its core business model centers on franchising agreements, enabling third-party hotel owners to operate under the Wyndham portfolio while accessing the company's centralized services and support.

The company's brand portfolio spans economy, midscale and upper-midscale segments, featuring well-known names such as Wyndham, Ramada, Days Inn, Super 8, Microtel Inn & Suites, and La Quinta by Wyndham.

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