Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:WH) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:WH - Get Free Report) saw a large growth in short interest in the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,720,000 shares, a growth of 17.7% from the April 30th total of 2,310,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,070,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.5 days. Currently, 3.6% of the company's shares are sold short.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on WH shares. Susquehanna boosted their target price on Wyndham Hotels & Resorts from $80.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Wyndham Hotels & Resorts from $102.00 to $94.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Wyndham Hotels & Resorts from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $115.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, March 24th. Barclays decreased their price target on Wyndham Hotels & Resorts from $121.00 to $100.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Wyndham Hotels & Resorts from $114.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $108.48.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Stock Up 2.3%

Shares of WH traded up $1.90 during trading on Friday, reaching $83.56. The company's stock had a trading volume of 688,926 shares, compared to its average volume of 862,623. The company has a fifty day moving average of $84.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $95.25. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts has a twelve month low of $70.08 and a twelve month high of $113.07. The company has a market cap of $6.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.02, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.72.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (NYSE:WH - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.82 by $0.04. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts had a return on equity of 54.86% and a net margin of 20.51%. The company had revenue of $316.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $320.10 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.78 EPS. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts's quarterly revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Wyndham Hotels & Resorts will post 4.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th will be given a dividend of $0.41 per share. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts's dividend payout ratio is currently 38.86%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

In other news, CEO Geoffrey A. Ballotti sold 26,650 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.56, for a total transaction of $2,306,824.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 461,376 shares in the company, valued at approximately $39,936,706.56. The trade was a 5.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 2.46% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts by 508.7% during the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 280 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 234 shares in the last quarter. Elequin Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts by 46.0% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 343 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts by 49.2% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 376 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $41,000. 93.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Company Profile

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Inc engages in the franchise and operation of hotels under the Wyndham brand. It operates through the Hotel Franchising and Hotel Management segments. The Hotel Franchising segment focuses on licensing the company's lodging brands and providing related services to third-party hotel owners and others.