Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $266.25.

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. TD Cowen dropped their target price on Marriott International from $295.00 to $283.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Marriott International from $251.00 to $269.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday. Mizuho boosted their price target on Marriott International from $233.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on Marriott International from $249.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday.

Marriott International Stock Performance

NASDAQ MAR opened at $287.08 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $79.78 billion, a PE ratio of 30.03, a P/E/G ratio of 5.56 and a beta of 1.58. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $274.76 and a 200-day moving average of $248.69. Marriott International has a 52-week low of $204.55 and a 52-week high of $295.45.

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

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 21st will be paid a $0.63 dividend. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 21st. Marriott International’s payout ratio is 26.36%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marriott International news, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 500 shares of the company’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 directly owns 12,286 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,372,384.14. This represents a 3.91 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider William P. Brown sold 1,707 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.30, for a total transaction of $485,300.10. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 23,077 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,560,791.10. This trade represents a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 13,815 shares of company stock worth $3,919,739 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 12.32% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marriott International

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas acquired a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,721,000. Tidal Investments LLC grew its holdings in Marriott International by 86.8% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 16,375 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,071,000 after purchasing an additional 7,607 shares during the period. Optimist Retirement Group LLC increased its stake in Marriott International by 7.7% during the 3rd quarter. Optimist Retirement Group LLC now owns 894 shares of the company’s stock valued at $222,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Marriott International during the third quarter worth $1,260,000. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 5.8% during the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 36,251 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,012,000 after buying an additional 1,974 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

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.