Written by StockNews.com

Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (NYSE:WYN) early Wednesday [Feb 15, 2017 | 6:45am ] posted solid fourth quarter earnings results and offered a mixed outlook, as it continues to bolster results via share buybacks and cost cuts amid anemic revenue growth.

The Parsippany, NJ-based hotel operator reported adjusted Q4 EPS of $1.35, which was $0.05 better than the Wall Street consensus estimate of $1.30.

Revenues in the latest period rose 0.7% from last year to $1.32 billion, matching analysts’ $1.32 billion view.

Wyndham noted that Hotel Group revenues edged slightly higher year-over-year to $316 million, reflecting higher franchise fees and Wyndham Rewards credit card program growth. Those gains were partially offset by lower reimbursable property management revenues, however.

Destination Network revenues rose 2% from last year to $317 million, or +3% when disregarding currency translation effects.

Finally, Vacation Ownership revenues edged slightly lower from the year-ago period to $705 million.

Looking ahead, WYN forecast full-year adjusted 2017 EPS of $5.90 to $6.10, lower than the average Wall Street estimate of $6.23. Its revenue outlook of $5.8 to $5.95 billion could top analysts’ $5.8 billion view, however.

Wyndham Worldwide also lifted its quarterly dividend payout by 16%, to $0.58 per share, up from a prior $0.50.

The company commented via press release:

“In 2016, we delivered earnings growth and free cash flow that were both in line with our targets despite headwinds from a higher provision for loan losses and foreign exchange rates,” said Stephen P. Holmes, chairman and CEO. “We achieved these results through consistent execution, careful expense management, and continued disciplined capital allocation.”

Wyndham Worldwide Corporation shares were unchanged in premarket trading Wednesday. Year-to-date, WYN has gained 7.11%, versus a 4.55% rise in the benchmark S&P 500 index during the same period.

WYN currently has a StockNews.com POWR Rating of A (Strong Buy), and is ranked #4 of 18 stocks in the Travel – Hotels/Resorts category.