Wrapping up Q2 earnings, we look at the numbers and key takeaways for the travel and vacation providers stocks, including Hilton (NYSE: HLT) and its peers.

Airlines, hotels, resorts, and cruise line companies often sell experiences rather than tangible products, and in the last decade-plus, consumers have slowly shifted from buying "things" (wasteful) to buying "experiences" (memorable). In addition, the internet has introduced new ways of approaching leisure and lodging such as booking homes and longer-term accommodations. Traditional airlines, hotel, resorts, and cruise line companies must innovate to stay relevant in a market rife with innovation.

The 18 travel and vacation providers stocks we track reported a mixed Q2. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 1.1% while next quarter’s revenue guidance was in line.

Thankfully, share prices of the companies have been resilient as they are up 6% on average since the latest earnings results.

Hilton (NYSE: HLT)

Founded in 1919, Hilton Worldwide (NYSE: HLT) is a global hospitality company with a portfolio of hotel brands.

Hilton reported revenues of $3.14 billion, up 6.3% year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 1.4%. Overall, it was a satisfactory quarter for the company with an impressive beat of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates.

Christopher J. Nassetta, President & Chief Executive Officer of Hilton, said, "We continued to demonstrate the power of our resilient business model as we delivered strong bottom line results in the quarter, even with modestly negative top line performance given holiday and calendar shifts, reduced government spending, softer international inbound business and broader economic uncertainty. With that being said, we believe the economy in our largest market is set up for better growth over the intermediate term, which should accelerate travel demand and, when paired with low industry supply growth, unlock stronger RevPAR growth. On the development side, we achieved the largest pipeline in our history, and we remain confident in our ability to deliver net unit growth between 6.0 percent and 7.0 percent for the next several years."

Unsurprisingly, the stock is down 1.1% since reporting and currently trades at $271.

Is now the time to buy Hilton? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Best Q2: Pursuit (NYSE: PRSU)

With attractions ranging from glacier tours in the Canadian Rockies to an oceanfront geothermal lagoon in Iceland, Pursuit Attractions and Hospitality (NYSE: PRSU) operates iconic travel experiences, experiential marketing services, and exhibition management across North America and Europe.

Pursuit reported revenues of $116.7 million, down 69.2% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 6.9%. The business had a stunning quarter with a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and full-year EBITDA guidance exceeding analysts’ expectations.

The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 24.7% since reporting. It currently trades at $37.46.

Is now the time to buy Pursuit? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Weakest Q2: Hilton Grand Vacations (NYSE: HGV)

Spun off from Hilton Worldwide in 2017, Hilton Grand Vacations (NYSE: HGV) is a global timeshare company that provides travel experiences for its customers through its timeshare resorts and club membership programs.

Hilton Grand Vacations reported revenues of $1.27 billion, up 2.5% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 8.1%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates and a significant miss of analysts’ EPS estimates.

Hilton Grand Vacations delivered the weakest performance against analyst estimates in the group. As expected, the stock is down 8% since the results and currently trades at $46.73.

Read our full analysis of Hilton Grand Vacations’s results here.

Wyndham (NYSE: WH)

Established in 1981, Wyndham (NYSE: WH) is a global hotel franchising company with over 9,000 hotels across nearly 95 countries on six continents.

Wyndham reported revenues of $397 million, up 8.2% year on year. This number surpassed analysts’ expectations by 2.5%. Taking a step back, it was a satisfactory quarter as it also logged a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates but a slight miss of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates.

The stock is flat since reporting and currently trades at $86.35.

Read our full, actionable report on Wyndham here, it’s free.

Delta (NYSE: DAL)

One of the ‘Big Four’ airlines in the US, Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) is a major global air carrier that serves both business and leisure travelers through its domestic and international flights.

Delta reported revenues of $16.65 billion, flat year on year. This print topped analysts’ expectations by 1.5%. It was a strong quarter as it also put up a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and full-year EPS guidance topping analysts’ expectations.

The stock is up 19.9% since reporting and currently trades at $60.75.

Read our full, actionable report on Delta here, it’s free.

Market Update

Thanks to the Fed’s rate hikes in 2022 and 2023, inflation has been on a steady path downward, easing back toward that 2% sweet spot. Fortunately (miraculously to some), all this tightening didn’t send the economy tumbling into a recession, so here we are, cautiously celebrating a soft landing. The cherry on top? Recent rate cuts (half a point in September 2024, a quarter in November) have propped up markets, especially after Trump’s November win lit a fire under major indices and sent them to all-time highs. However, there’s still plenty to ponder — tariffs, corporate tax cuts, and what 2025 might hold for the economy.

Want to invest in winners with rock-solid fundamentals? Check out our Top 5 Quality Compounder Stocks and add them to your watchlist. These companies are poised for growth regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate.

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