Analyzing Apple Hospitality REIT (NYSE:APLE) & Ryman Hospitality Properties (NYSE:RHP)

Ryman Hospitality Properties (NYSE:RHP) and Apple Hospitality REIT (NYSE:APLE) are both mid-cap real estate companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, profitability, dividends, valuation, analyst recommendations, risk and earnings.

Dividends

Ryman Hospitality Properties pays an annual dividend of $4.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.7%. Apple Hospitality REIT pays an annual dividend of $0.96 per share and has a dividend yield of 5.8%. Ryman Hospitality Properties pays out 117.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Apple Hospitality REIT pays out 129.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Ryman Hospitality Properties has raised its dividend for 2 consecutive years.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Ryman Hospitality Properties and Apple Hospitality REIT”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Ryman Hospitality Properties	$2.74 billion	3.02	$243.43 million	$4.09	32.10
Apple Hospitality REIT	$1.41 billion	2.78	$175.36 million	$0.74	22.44

Ryman Hospitality Properties has higher revenue and earnings than Apple Hospitality REIT. Apple Hospitality REIT is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Ryman Hospitality Properties, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current recommendations and price targets for Ryman Hospitality Properties and Apple Hospitality REIT, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Ryman Hospitality Properties	0	0	12	0	3.00
Apple Hospitality REIT	0	6	4	1	2.55

Ryman Hospitality Properties presently has a consensus target price of $129.73, indicating a potential downside of 1.20%. Apple Hospitality REIT has a consensus target price of $16.50, indicating a potential downside of 0.63%. Given Apple Hospitality REIT’s higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Apple Hospitality REIT is more favorable than Ryman Hospitality Properties.

Volatility & Risk

Ryman Hospitality Properties has a beta of 1.2, indicating that its stock price is 20% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Apple Hospitality REIT has a beta of 0.88, indicating that its stock price is 12% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Ryman Hospitality Properties and Apple Hospitality REIT’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Ryman Hospitality Properties	9.91%	34.54%	4.39%
Apple Hospitality REIT	12.17%	5.56%	3.58%

Institutional and Insider Ownership

94.5% of Ryman Hospitality Properties shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 89.7% of Apple Hospitality REIT shares are held by institutional investors. 3.2% of Ryman Hospitality Properties shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 6.9% of Apple Hospitality REIT shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Ryman Hospitality Properties beats Apple Hospitality REIT on 13 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Ryman Hospitality Properties

Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc. (NYSE: RHP) is a leading lodging and hospitality real estate investment trust that specializes in upscale convention center resorts and entertainment experiences. The Company's holdings include Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center; Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center; Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center; Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center; and Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center, five of the top seven largest non-gaming convention center hotels in the United States based on total indoor meeting space. The Company also owns the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa as well as two ancillary hotels adjacent to our Gaylord Hotels properties. The Company's hotel portfolio is managed by Marriott International and includes a combined total of 11,414 rooms as well as more than 3 million square feet of total indoor and outdoor meeting space in top convention and leisure destinations across the country. RHP also owns a 70% controlling ownership interest in Opry Entertainment Group (OEG), which is composed of entities owning a growing collection of iconic and emerging country music brands, including the Grand Ole Opry, Ryman Auditorium, WSM 650 AM, Ole Red, Nashville-area attractions, and Block 21, a mixed-use entertainment, lodging, office and retail complex, including the W Austin Hotel and the ACL Live at the Moody Theater, located in downtown Austin, Texas. RHP operates OEG as its Entertainment segment in a taxable REIT subsidiary, and its results are consolidated in the Company's financial results.

About Apple Hospitality REIT

Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. (NYSE: APLE) is a publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns one of the largest and most diverse portfolios of upscale, rooms-focused hotels in the United States. Apple Hospitality's portfolio consists of 223 hotels with more than 29,400 guest rooms located in 87 markets throughout 37 states as well as one property leased to third parties. Concentrated with industry-leading brands, the Company's hotel portfolio consists of 99 Marriott-branded hotels, 119 Hilton-branded hotels and five Hyatt-branded hotels.