Here are two buys for a COVID-19 recovery

Article Excerpt

News that two or more COVID-19 vaccines will be available in December 2020 has helped lift the shares of these hotel stocks. A resulting rise in travel volumes should also let them raise their dividends after cuts in 2020. WYNDHAM DESTINATIONS INC. $45 is still a buy. Through the stock (New York symbol WYND; Cyclical-Growth Payer Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares o/s: 85.9 million; Market cap: $3.9 billion; Divd. yield: 2.7%; 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 78% of its revenue. Its vacation exchange business, now called Panorama, generates 22%. With the September 2020 payment, Wyndham Destinations cut its dividend by 40%. Based on an annual dividend payment of $1.20, it currently yields 2.7%. In the quarter ended September 30, 2020, revenue fell 44.4%, to $614 million from $1.1 billion a year earlier. Excluding one-time items, it earned $71 million, down sharply from $144 million;…