Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) Stock Rating Upgraded by Jefferies Financial Group

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) was upgraded by equities researchers at Jefferies Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Monday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The firm currently has a $303.00 price target on the stock, up from their previous price target of $226.00. Jefferies Financial Group’s price objective points to a potential upside of 10.53% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on MAR. Susquehanna raised their price target on shares of Marriott International from $255.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $245.00 price target (down previously from $313.00) on shares of Marriott International in a report on Monday, April 14th. Argus raised their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Marriott International from $285.00 to $277.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Marriott International from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $276.60.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Shares of MAR stock opened at $274.14 on Monday. Marriott International has a one year low of $204.55 and a one year high of $307.52. The company’s 50-day moving average is $238.14 and its 200 day moving average is $266.56. The company has a market capitalization of $75.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.39.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.32 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.25 by $0.07. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.46% and a negative return on equity of 116.67%. The company had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.13 EPS. Marriott International’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Marriott International will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider William P. Brown sold 12,642 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.63, for a total transaction of $3,610,934.46. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 30,919 shares in the company, valued at $8,831,393.97. This represents a 29.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $278.07, for a total value of $4,031,458.86. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 14,282 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,971,395.74. This represents a 50.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 31,694 shares of company stock worth $8,938,132 over the last 90 days. 10.68% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC boosted its position in Marriott International by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 5,554 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,549,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. TFG Advisers LLC boosted its position in Marriott International by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. TFG Advisers LLC now owns 4,426 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,235,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of Marriott International by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 3,290 shares of the company’s stock valued at $918,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Evermay Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Marriott International by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Evermay Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,415 shares of the company’s stock valued at $953,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Essex Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of Marriott International by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 3,004 shares of the company’s stock valued at $838,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.