PARSIPPANY, N.J., April 30, 2019 // PRNewswire // - Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: WH) today announced results for the three months ended March 31, 2019. Highlights include:
"Our first quarter results were consistent with our expectations and included double-digit growth in adjusted EBITDA despite our decision to incur a higher proportion of our 2019 marketing expenses in the early part of the year," said Geoffrey A. Ballotti, chief executive officer. "We remain enthusiastic about our prospects for growth, the synergies we expect from the La Quinta acquisition, and our leading presence in the economy and midscale segments of the lodging industry."
Revenues were $468 million, compared with $302 million in the first quarter of 2018. Results reflect $169 million of incremental revenues from La Quinta. Excluding the impact from 2018 acquisitions and divestitures, revenues were consistent with last year in constant currency, primarily due to higher license, royalty and other fees, offset by lower cost-reimbursement revenues.
Net income was $21 million, or $0.22 per diluted share, compared to $39 million, or $0.40 per diluted share, in the first quarter of 2018. Prior-year results predate the Company's spin-off and the acquisition of La Quinta and therefore included substantially lower separation-related, interest and corporate expenses.
Adjusted net income was $51 million, or $0.52 per diluted share, compared with $55 million, or $0.55 per diluted share, in the first quarter of 2018. First quarter earnings comparisons were impacted by the acquisition of La Quinta, higher interest expense, the timing of marketing expenses and the absence of $4 million of net hurricane-related insurance proceeds received during first quarter 2018. The timing-related increase in marketing expenses alone, measured relative to marketing, reservation and loyalty revenues, reduced first quarter 2019 adjusted net income by $12 million or $0.12 per diluted share. Full reconciliations of GAAP results to our non-GAAP adjusted measures for all reported periods appear in the tables to this press release.
First quarter adjusted EBITDA was $111 million, compared with $92 million in the first quarter of 2018. Management estimates that first quarter results reflect approximately $33 million of adjusted EBITDA from La Quinta. Excluding the impact from 2018 acquisitions and divestitures, adjusted EBITDA decreased 13% in constant currency, primarily due to the timing of marketing expenses, which suppressed growth by 16 percentage points, and the absence of the net hurricane-related insurance proceeds received in first quarter 2018, which suppressed growth by 4 percentage points.
Consistent with the Company's expectations, first quarter adjusted EBITDA represented 18% of the Company's projected full-year adjusted EBITDA.
As of March 31, 2019, the Company's hotel system consisted of approximately 9,200 properties and approximately 812,000 rooms, a 12% increase compared with the first quarter of 2018. Room count grew 3% year-over-year, excluding our 2018 acquisitions and divestitures. The Company's development pipeline consisted of 1,400 hotels and approximately 181,000 rooms, a 23% year-over-year room increase, including over 25,000 La Quinta pipeline rooms and the removal of 2,000 Knights Inn pipeline rooms. The Company also increased its pipeline sequentially by 1% compared to fourth quarter 2018. Approximately 54% of the Company's development pipeline is international and 73% is new construction.
Business Segment Discussion
The following discussion of first quarter operating results focuses on revenue and adjusted EBITDA for each of our segments.
Revenues increased 33% compared to first quarter 2018, including $61 million of incremental revenues from La Quinta. Excluding the impact from 2018 acquisitions and divestitures, revenues increased 4% in constant currency, due to higher license, royalty and other fees. Adjusted EBITDA grew 31% to $113 million, including an estimate of approximately $26 million of adjusted EBITDA from the acquisition of La Quinta. In constant currency and excluding the impact from 2018 acquisitions and divestitures, adjusted EBITDA grew 4%, reflecting the growth in revenues and lower operating expenses, partially offset by the timing of marketing expenses, which reduced adjusted EBITDA by $13 million.
Revenues increased $98 million compared to the prior-year period, reflecting $108 million of incremental revenues from La Quinta (including $97 million of cost-reimbursement revenues). Excluding the impact from the acquisition of La Quinta, revenues declined $10 million primarily due to lower cost-reimbursement revenues, which have no impact on adjusted EBITDA. Adjusted EBITDA was unchanged compared to the prior-year quarter, reflecting an estimate of approximately $7 million of adjusted EBITDA from La Quinta and the absence of $4 million of net hurricane-related insurance proceeds received in first quarter 2018.
Other Items
Share Repurchases - The Company repurchased approximately 874,000 shares of its common stock for $44 million in the first quarter.
La Quinta Integration - Earlier this month, the Company completed the last major milestones in its integration of La Quinta, migrating the brand's more than 900 hotels to Wyndham's outsourced, cloud-based central reservation and property management systems and adding La Quinta to the Wyndham Rewards loyalty program. The Company now estimates that annual synergies from the La Quinta acquisition will be $64 million to $70 million and that it will reach full run-rate synergies in third quarter 2019.
Outlook
The Company increased its outlook for adjusted diluted EPS by two cents, to $3.07 to $3.19, based on an adjusted share count of 98.2 million, which reflects first quarter share repurchases and excludes future repurchases. The Company is providing an outlook for net income, EBITDA and EPS only on a non-GAAP, adjusted basis because it is unable to predict with reasonable certainty the occurrence or amount of potential adjustments that may arise in the future.
Conference Call Information
Wyndham Hotels will hold a conference call with investors to discuss the Company's results and outlook on Tuesday, April 30, 2019 at 8:30 a.m. ET. Listeners can access the webcast live through the Company's website at www.investor.wyndhamhotels.com. The conference call may also be accessed by dialing 877 876-9174 and providing the passcode "Wyndham". Listeners are urged to call at least five minutes prior to the scheduled start time. An archive of this webcast will be available on the website for approximately 90 days beginning at noon ET on April 30, 2019. A telephone replay will be available for approximately ten days beginning at noon ET on April 30, 2019 at 800 374-0934.
Presentation of Financial Information
Financial information discussed in this press release includes non-GAAP measures, which include or exclude certain items. These non-GAAP measures differ from reported GAAP results and are intended to illustrate what management believes are relevant period-over-period comparisons and are helpful to investors as an additional tool for further understanding and assessing the Company's ongoing operating performance. Exclusion of items in the Company's non-GAAP presentation should not be considered an inference that these items are unusual, infrequent or non-recurring. Full reconciliations of GAAP results to the comparable non-GAAP measures for the reported periods appear in the financial tables section of this press release.
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: WH) is the world's largest hotel franchising company, with approximately 9,200 hotels across more than 80 countries on six continents. Through its network of approximately 812,000 rooms appealing to the everyday traveler, Wyndham commands a leading presence in the economy and midscale segments of the lodging industry. The Company operates a portfolio of 20 hotel brands, including Super 8®, Days Inn®, Ramada®, Microtel Inn & Suites®, La Quinta®, Wingate®, AmericInn®, Hawthorn Suites®, The Trademark Collection®, and Wyndham®. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is also a leading provider of hotel management services, with more than 400 properties under management. The Company's award-winning Wyndham Rewards loyalty program offers over 75 million enrolled members the opportunity to redeem points at thousands of hotels, vacation club resorts and vacation rentals globally. For more information, visit www.wyndhamhotels.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements include those that convey management's expectations as to the future based on plans, estimates and projections at the time Wyndham Hotels makes the statements and may be identified by words such as "will," "expect," "believe," "plan," "anticipate," "intend," "goal," "future," "outlook," "guidance," "target," "estimate," "projection" and similar words or expressions, including the negative version of such words and expressions. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Wyndham Hotels to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release include statements related to Wyndham Hotels' current views and expectations with respect to its future performance and operations, including revenues, earnings, cash flow and other financial and operating measures, share repurchases and dividends.
You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, without limitation, general economic conditions, the performance of financial and credit markets, the economic environment for the hospitality industry, operating risks associated with the hotel franchising and management businesses, the impact of war, terrorist activity or political strife, risks related to our spin-off as a newly independent company, risks related to the acquisition and integration of La Quinta, risks related to our ability to obtain financing and the terms of such financing, and the timing and amount of future share repurchases and dividends, as well as the risks described in Wyndham Hotels' most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and any subsequent reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, Wyndham Hotels undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, subsequent events or otherwise.
We believe free cash flow to be a useful operating performance measure to evaluate the ability of our operations to generate cash for uses other than capital expenditures and, after debt service and other obligations, our ability to grow our business through acquisitions, development advances and equity investments, as well as our ability to return cash to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases. A limitation of using free cash flow versus the GAAP measures of net cash provided by operating activities, net cash used in investing activities and net cash provided by financing activities as a means for evaluating Wyndham Hotels is that free cash flow does not represent the total cash movement for the period as detailed in the consolidated statement of cash flows.
SOURCE Wyndham Hotels & Resorts
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: WH) is a hotel franchising company.