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

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

Risk and Volatility

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

Profitability

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

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

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Apple Hospitality REIT and Ryman Hospitality Properties”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

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

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.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

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

Dividends

Apple Hospitality REIT pays an annual dividend of $0.96 per share and has a dividend yield of 5.8%. Ryman Hospitality Properties pays an annual dividend of $4.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.7%. 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 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. Ryman Hospitality Properties has raised its dividend for 2 consecutive years.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current recommendations for Apple Hospitality REIT and Ryman Hospitality Properties, as provided by MarketBeat.

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

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

Summary

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

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.

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.