Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Stock Has Consensus Target Price of $399.04 According to Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts rate Marriott a “Moderate Buy” overall: Of 27 analysts, 14 recommend buying or strong buying, 12 recommend holding and one recommends selling; the average 12-month price target is $399.04.
• Quarterly results topped expectations: Marriott reported EPS of $3.02 versus the $2.84 consensus and revenue of $7 billion versus $6.93 billion, with revenue up 8% year over year.
• Marriott declared a $0.73 quarterly dividend, equal to $2.92 annually and a 0.7% yield. The article also reports substantial insider share sales in recent months.

Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-seven analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, twelve have issued a hold recommendation, twelve have issued a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $399.04.

A number of research firms have issued reports on MAR. Mizuho lowered their target price on Marriott International from $384.00 to $374.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Marriott International in a report on Wednesday. China Intl Cap raised Marriott International to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $363.00 to $409.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 3rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $395.00 to $414.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 3rd.

Marriott International Price Performance

MAR stock opened at $416.47 on Monday. Marriott International has a 52-week low of $280.99 and a 52-week high of $433.30. The company has a 50-day moving average of $366.29 and a two-hundred day moving average of $358.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $107.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 1.15.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last issued 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. The company had revenue of $7 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.93 billion. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 69.94% and a net margin of 9.68%. The firm's revenue was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.47 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Marriott International will post 12.10 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. Marriott International's dividend payout ratio is 29.14%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider David S. Marriott sold 3,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $352.09, for a total transaction of $1,232,315.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 282,383 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $99,424,230.47. This represents a 1.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Rena Reiss sold 4,969 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $423.32, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 11.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 77,824 shares of company stock worth $32,243,110. 11.43% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marriott International

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Marriott International by 2.9% in the 2nd 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 period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 5,530 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. grew its holdings in 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 during the period. Swiss National Bank increased its stake in Marriott International by 5.9% in 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 increased its stake in Marriott International by 15.3% in the second 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 in the last quarter. 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

Marriott International Company Profile

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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