Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-one analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $281.00.

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on MAR shares. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Marriott International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $226.00 to $303.00 in a report on Monday, May 12th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on shares of Marriott International from $285.00 to $280.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Marriott International from $285.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of Marriott International in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $284.00 price target for the company. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Marriott International from $302.00 to $299.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st.

Marriott International Stock Performance

NASDAQ MAR opened at $273.82 on Friday. Marriott International has a 52-week low of $205.40 and a 52-week high of $307.52. The company has a market capitalization of $74.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a fifty day moving average of $269.30 and a 200-day moving average of $260.07.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The company reported $2.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.65. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.60% and a negative return on equity of 93.44%. The company had revenue of $6.74 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.66 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.50 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Marriott International has set its FY 2025 guidance at 9.850-10.080 EPS. Q3 2025 guidance at 2.310-2.390 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Marriott International will post 10.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 21st will be paid a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 21st. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Marriott International’s payout ratio is currently 30.21%.

Marriott International declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, August 7th that permits the company to buyback 25,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 12,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.90, for a total transaction of $3,166,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 124,067 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $32,741,281.30. This represents a 8.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Rajeev Menon sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.28, for a total transaction of $670,700.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 5,706 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,530,805.68. This trade represents a 30.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 10.68% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marriott International

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Marriott International by 0.4% during the second quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 8,649 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,363,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. CreativeOne Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Marriott International by 2.1% in the 1st quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 1,831 shares of the company’s stock worth $436,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. L2 Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Marriott International by 4.0% during the second quarter. L2 Asset Management LLC now owns 996 shares of the company’s stock valued at $272,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Marriott International by 0.3% during the first quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC now owns 12,824 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,055,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Finally, Valmark Advisers Inc. lifted its position in Marriott International by 1.6% during the second quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 2,462 shares of the company’s stock valued at $673,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.