82,748 Wyndham Hotels & Resorts $WH Shares Bought by Jefferies Financial Group Inc.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (NYSE:WH) by 986.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 91,139 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 82,748 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Wyndham Hotels & Resorts were worth $6,547,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of WH. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts in the second quarter valued at approximately $623,573,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Wyndham Hotels & Resorts by 2.2% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,371,183 shares of the company’s stock worth $111,379,000 after buying an additional 29,422 shares in the last quarter. Findlay Park Partners LLP acquired a new position in Wyndham Hotels & Resorts during the 2nd quarter worth $100,648,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in Wyndham Hotels & Resorts during the 2nd quarter worth $56,860,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in Wyndham Hotels & Resorts in the 2nd quarter valued at $47,811,000. 93.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Stock Down 2.2%

Shares of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts stock opened at $78.99 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.69. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts has a 12 month low of $66.87 and a 12 month high of $90.35. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $73.26 and a 200 day simple moving average of $77.88. The stock has a market cap of $5.76 billion, a PE ratio of 29.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 0.64.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (NYSE:WH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 21st. The company reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by $0.11. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts had a return on equity of 77.43% and a net margin of 13.97%. The business had revenue of $410.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $408.99 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.46 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Wyndham Hotels & Resorts will post 4.88 EPS for the current year.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 15th will be given a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 15th. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts’s payout ratio is presently 63.94%.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, September 29th that permits the company to repurchase $400 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 7.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Share repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on WH. Weiss Ratings raised Wyndham Hotels & Resorts from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 4th. Freedom Broker initiated coverage on Wyndham Hotels & Resorts in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $88.00 price target on the stock. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Wyndham Hotels & Resorts from $96.00 to $95.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Wyndham Hotels & Resorts from $96.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Wyndham Hotels & Resorts from $98.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $94.67.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Geoffrey Ballotti sold 19,414 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.71, for a total value of $1,411,591.94. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 549,323 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $39,941,275.33. This represents a 3.41% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Scott R. Strickland sold 12,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.77, for a total transaction of $957,240.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 29,490 shares in the company, valued at $2,352,417.30. This represents a 28.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 50,709 shares of company stock valued at $3,790,680 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 2.33% of the company’s stock.

About Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is a hospitality company focused primarily on franchising hotels. It provides franchisees with access to hotel brands, reservation and loyalty platforms, and operational support, while serving travelers through properties across a range of price points and lodging styles. Its portfolio includes brands such as Wyndham, Ramada, Days Inn, Super 8, La Quinta, Microtel, Wingate, Trademark Collection and Registry Collection. The company’s hotels serve guests in markets around the world, including North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East.