Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) Given New $450.00 Price Target at Citigroup

Key Points

• Citigroup raised its Marriott price target from $365 to $450 while keeping a neutral rating; the new target implies 8.05% upside from the previous close.
• Marriott’s latest quarterly results beat estimates, with EPS of $3.02 versus $2.84 expected and revenue of $7 billion versus $6.93 billion; revenue rose 8% year over year.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive: MarketBeat reports a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $399.04, though recent insider share sales are a potential concern.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) had its price target boosted by analysts at Citigroup from $365.00 to $450.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "neutral" rating on the stock. Citigroup's price objective would suggest a potential upside of 8.05% from the stock's previous close.

MAR has been the subject of several other research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $388.00 to $406.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. China Intl Cap upgraded shares of Marriott International to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. TD Cowen upgraded Marriott International to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on Marriott International from $410.00 to $395.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Erste Group Bank assumed coverage on Marriott International in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. They set a "buy" rating on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marriott International currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $399.04.

Marriott International Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ MAR traded down $0.81 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $416.47. 1,677,669 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,571,000. The firm has a market capitalization of $107.24 billion, a PE ratio of 41.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 1.15. Marriott International has a 12 month low of $280.99 and a 12 month high of $433.30. The company's 50 day moving average price is $365.04 and its 200 day moving average price is $357.63.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 2nd. The company reported $3.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.84 by $0.18. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 69.94% and a net margin of 9.68%. The business had revenue of $7 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.93 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.47 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Marriott International will post 12.10 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Marriott International

In other news, insider David S. Marriott sold 3,500 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 25th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $99,424,230.47. The trade was a 1.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Rena Reiss sold 4,969 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 38,953 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $16,489,583.96. This trade represents a 11.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 77,824 shares of company stock worth $32,243,110. Company insiders own 11.43% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Marriott International

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 272,044 shares during the period. Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new position in shares of Marriott International during the 2nd quarter worth about $81,872,000. William Blair Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Marriott International by 255.5% in the 2nd quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 300,872 shares of the company's stock valued at $111,500,000 after buying an additional 216,241 shares during the period. Danske Bank A S increased its position in Marriott International by 170.4% in the 2nd quarter. Danske Bank A S now owns 326,743 shares of the company's stock valued at $121,088,000 after buying an additional 205,886 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Marriott International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $65,604,000. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Marriott International

Here are the key news stories impacting Marriott International this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Marriott declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.73 per share, payable December 31 to shareholders of record November 19. The annualized dividend is $2.92, a modest income-return component for investors. Marriott dividend announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Recent quarterly results beat analyst estimates for earnings and revenue; a MarketBeat review noted that fee growth outpaced room revenue, supporting the view that Marriott’s performance is not solely dependent on travel demand. Marriott earnings analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Marriott is entering Laos with a Luxury Collection property, extending its international brand presence and potential fee-generating hotel network. Marriott debuts in Laos
• Positive Sentiment: Recent headlines point to bullish views from Robert W. Baird, Barclays and Goldman Sachs, while Zacks characterized MAR as a strong momentum stock. These indicate favorable analyst and trend sentiment, though the provided reports give no price targets or detailed rationale. Baird view Barclays view Goldman Sachs view Zacks momentum article
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Anthony Capuano sold 63,355 shares for about $26.6 million, reducing his direct stake by 55.47%. EVPs Rena Reiss and Benjamin Breland also sold shares. Multiple insider sales can raise investor concern, although the filings alone do not establish the executives’ reasons. CEO SEC filing Rena Reiss SEC filing Benjamin Breland SEC filing
• Negative Sentiment: Freedom Broker downgraded Marriott from “strong buy” to “hold,” tempering the otherwise positive analyst headlines. Freedom Broker ratings

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, DC, in 1927. It entered the lodging business in the 1950s and is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland.

Marriott serves travelers in countries and territories around the world and offers the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program.

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