Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the twenty ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $269.65.

MAR has been the topic of several recent research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on Marriott International from $262.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $280.00 to $314.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $249.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Marriott International from $251.00 to $269.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Marriott International from $238.00 to $261.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.49, for a total value of $137,245.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 12,286 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,372,384.14. The trade was a 3.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Felitia Lee sold 916 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $276.48, for a total value of $253,255.68. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,609 shares in the company, valued at $1,550,776.32. This trade represents a 14.04 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 13,815 shares of company stock valued at $3,919,739 over the last quarter. 12.32% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marriott International

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. PointState Capital LP purchased a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the third quarter valued at about $98,249,000. Canoe Financial LP purchased a new stake in Marriott International during the third quarter valued at approximately $77,331,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Marriott International by 15,148.3% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 302,527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $75,208,000 after acquiring an additional 300,543 shares in the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund increased its position in shares of Marriott International by 36,856.7% during the second quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 241,327 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,346,000 after purchasing an additional 240,674 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AXA S.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 133.4% during the 2nd quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 221,045 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,442,000 after purchasing an additional 126,323 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Marriott International Price Performance

Marriott International stock opened at $273.53 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $281.79 and its 200-day moving average price is $254.57. Marriott International has a 1 year low of $204.55 and a 1 year high of $295.45. The stock has a market cap of $76.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.61, a PEG ratio of 5.47 and a beta of 1.57.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.26 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.31 by ($0.05). Marriott International had a net margin of 11.18% and a negative return on equity of 177.91%. The company had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.27 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.11 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Marriott International will post 9.26 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 21st were given a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 21st. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.36%.

Marriott International Company Profile

Marriott International, Inc engages in operating, franchising, and licensing hotel, residential, timeshare, and other lodging properties worldwide. It operates its properties under the JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton, The Luxury Collection, W Hotels, St. Regis, EDITION, Bvlgari, Marriott Hotels, Sheraton, Westin, Autograph Collection, Renaissance Hotels, Le Méridien, Delta Hotels by Marriott, Tribute Portfolio, Gaylord Hotels, Design Hotels, Marriott Executive Apartments, Apartments by Marriott Bonvoy, Courtyard by Marriott, Fairfield by Marriott, Residence Inn by Marriott, SpringHill Suites by Marriott, Four Points by Sheraton, TownePlace Suites by Marriott, Aloft Hotels, AC Hotels by Marriott, Moxy Hotels, Element Hotels, Protea Hotels by Marriott, City Express by Marriott, and St.