Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Stock Has Average Price Target of $399.04

Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-seven ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, twelve have given a hold recommendation, twelve have given a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $399.04.

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Marriott International in a research note on Wednesday, November 4th. Argus cut their target price on shares of Marriott International from $445.00 to $425.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 14th. CICC Research initiated coverage on Marriott International in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $410.00 price target for the company. UBS Group cut their price objective on Marriott International from $412.00 to $395.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Marriott International from $384.00 to $403.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd.

Marriott International Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of MAR stock opened at $429.18 on Monday. Marriott International has a 12-month low of $280.99 and a 12-month high of $433.30. The company has a 50 day moving average of $371.23 and a 200-day moving average of $359.71. The firm has a market cap of $110.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.83, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 1.15.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 2nd. The company reported $3.02 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.18. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.68% and a negative return on equity of 69.94%. The company had revenue of $7 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.93 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.47 earnings per share. Marriott International’s revenue was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Marriott International will post 12.10 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, November 19th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Marriott International’s payout ratio is currently 29.14%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marriott International news, EVP Rena Reiss sold 4,969 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $423.32, for a total value of $2,103,477.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 38,953 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,489,583.96. The trade was a 11.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Deborah Harrison sold 3,500 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction on Friday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $352.09, for a total value of $1,232,315.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 282,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $99,424,230.47. The trade was a 1.22% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 77,824 shares of company stock worth $32,243,110 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 11.43% 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 MAR. State Street Corp increased its position in Marriott International by 2.9% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 9,644,773 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,574,256,000 after acquiring an additional 272,044 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Marriott International by 0.8% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 727,472 shares of the company’s stock valued at $237,893,000 after buying an additional 5,530 shares during the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. grew its position in shares of Marriott International by 5.9% during the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 664,123 shares of the company’s stock valued at $236,209,000 after purchasing an additional 36,765 shares in the last quarter. Swiss National Bank raised its stake in Marriott International by 5.9% during the first quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 669,398 shares of the company’s stock valued at $218,940,000 after purchasing an additional 37,080 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 15.3% in the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 470,593 shares of the company’s stock valued at $174,311,000 after purchasing an additional 62,529 shares during the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Marriott International

Marriott International is a global lodging company that manages, franchises, and licenses hotels, resorts, and other accommodations. Its portfolio spans luxury, premium, select-service, and extended-stay brands, including The Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, W Hotels, Marriott, Sheraton, Courtyard, Residence Inn, and Moxy. The company traces its origins to a root beer stand opened by J. Willard and Alice Marriott in Washington, D.C., in 1927. It entered the lodging business in the 1950s and is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland.