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

Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the twenty ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $269.65.

Several research analysts have commented on MAR shares. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Marriott International from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $262.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Marriott International from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $251.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd.

Marriott International Stock Down 1.0 %

MAR opened at $269.78 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $281.33 and a 200 day moving average of $254.30. Marriott International has a 52-week low of $204.55 and a 52-week high of $295.45. The stock has a market cap of $74.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.22, a PEG ratio of 5.47 and a beta of 1.57.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.26 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.31 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $6.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 quarterly revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.11 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Marriott International will post 9.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 21st were paid a $0.63 dividend. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.93%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 21st. Marriott International’s payout ratio is 26.36%.

Insider Activity at Marriott International

In other Marriott International news, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 2,360 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.41, for a total value of $673,567.60. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 39,726 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,338,197.66. This represents a 5.61 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 500 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.49, for a total transaction of $137,245.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 12,286 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,372,384.14. This trade represents a 3.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 13,815 shares of company stock worth $3,919,739 over the last quarter. Insiders own 12.32% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Marriott International

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MAR. Jensen Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the 3rd quarter worth about $793,000. BayBridge Capital Group LLC acquired a new stake in Marriott International in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,254,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Marriott International by 0.5% in the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 566,548 shares of the company’s stock valued at $140,844,000 after buying an additional 2,723 shares in the last quarter. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas purchased a new position in shares of Marriott International during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,721,000. Finally, Kinsale Capital Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Marriott International in the 3rd quarter valued at $3,769,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

About Marriott International

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.