Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) has received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-two research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $276.90.

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised Marriott International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $226.00 to $303.00 in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Melius Research raised shares of Marriott International to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Marriott International from $275.00 to $267.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Marriott International from $283.00 to $236.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Marriott International from $265.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.21, for a total value of $270,210.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 20,724 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,599,832.04. This trade represents a 4.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Rajeev Menon sold 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.28, for a total value of $670,700.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 5,706 shares in the company, valued at $1,530,805.68. This trade represents a 30.47% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,107,710 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 10.68% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Marriott International

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in MAR. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Marriott International in the 4th quarter valued at about $580,922,000. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in Marriott International by 50.8% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,661,101 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,300,168,000 after buying an additional 1,570,144 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its stake in Marriott International by 194.7% in the 1st quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,709,665 shares of the company's stock valued at $407,242,000 after acquiring an additional 1,129,555 shares in the last quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC bought a new position in shares of Marriott International during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $266,084,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 23,923.3% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 731,989 shares of the company's stock valued at $174,360,000 after purchasing an additional 728,942 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.70% of the company's stock.

Marriott International Price Performance

Shares of MAR stock opened at $271.56 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $268.54 and a 200 day simple moving average of $262.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $74.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.41. Marriott International has a 12-month low of $204.55 and a 12-month high of $307.52.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.25 by $0.07. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 100.64% and a net margin of 9.75%. The company had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.19 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.13 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Marriott International will post 10.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd were paid a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.99%. This is a positive change from Marriott International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. Marriott International's payout ratio is currently 30.52%.

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.

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