Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Receives Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Marriott International received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from 21 brokerages, with an average 12-month price target of $281.26.
• The company reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $2.65, matching analysts' estimates, and a revenue of $6.74 billion, which exceeded expectations.
• Marriott announced a stock buyback program allowing for the repurchase of 25 million shares, indicating management believes the stock is undervalued.

Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-one ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $281.2632.

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Dbs Bank upgraded shares of Marriott International from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $302.00 to $299.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Truist Financial boosted their target price on Marriott International from $273.00 to $278.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 3rd. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on Marriott International from $285.00 to $280.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on Marriott International in a report on Monday, June 23rd. They set a "neutral" rating and a $284.00 target price on the stock.

Marriott International Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of NASDAQ MAR opened at $264.00 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $269.79 and a 200-day simple moving average of $257.91. The company has a market cap of $71.67 billion, a PE ratio of 29.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.38. Marriott International has a 12-month low of $205.40 and a 12-month high of $307.52.

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

Marriott International announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Thursday, August 7th that permits the company to buyback 25,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.67 per share. 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 presently 30.21%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Rajeev Menon sold 2,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.28, for a total transaction of $670,700.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 5,706 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,530,805.68. The trade was a 30.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 10.68% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MAR. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Marriott International in the second quarter worth approximately $638,968,000. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its position in Marriott International by 194.7% in the first quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,709,665 shares of the company's stock worth $407,242,000 after buying an additional 1,129,555 shares during the last quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC acquired a new position in Marriott International in the second quarter worth approximately $266,084,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in Marriott International by 16.4% in the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,427,410 shares of the company's stock worth $1,292,809,000 after buying an additional 766,309 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Marriott International by 23,923.3% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 731,989 shares of the company's stock worth $174,360,000 after purchasing an additional 728,942 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.70% of the company's stock.

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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