Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Receives $282.60 Consensus Target Price from Analysts

Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $277.00.

Several research firms have weighed in on MAR. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Marriott International from $285.00 to $277.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $287.00 to $283.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Marriott International from $295.00 to $226.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Argus upped their price target 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. Finally, Susquehanna raised their price objective on Marriott International from $255.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th.

Marriott International Price Performance

NASDAQ:MAR opened at $220.41 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $251.42 and a 200-day moving average price of $268.42. Marriott International has a one year low of $204.55 and a one year high of $307.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.42.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.45 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.37 by $0.08. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.46% and a negative return on equity of 116.67%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Marriott International will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 27th were given a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.14%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.29%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Rena Hozore Reiss sold 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $286.65, for a total transaction of $1,003,275.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 24,733 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,089,714.45. The trade was a 12.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of the 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 directly owns 14,282 shares of the company’s stock, 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. 12.32% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Marriott International

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in Marriott International in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. purchased a new position in shares of Marriott International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc increased its position in shares of Marriott International by 112.2% during the fourth quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 104 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 494.4% in the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 107 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the period. Finally, Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Marriott International in the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. 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.