Wells Fargo & Company Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) Stock

Key Points

• Wells Fargo raised its price target on Marriott to $446 with an "overweight" rating, implying roughly a 25.4% upside from the prior close and exceeding the Street consensus target of $373.47.
• Marriott beat Q1 estimates with adjusted EPS of $2.72 (vs. $2.56) and revenue up ~6.2% YoY, while management raised RevPAR guidance, highlighted a record development pipeline (4,100+ properties) and returned over $1.2B YTD via buybacks and dividends.
• Insider selling has been notable: CEO Anthony Capuano sold 63,000 shares in February (reducing his stake ~35.7%), and insiders disposed of ~95,540 shares worth about $34.3M in the past 90 days.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) had its price objective upped by equities researchers at Wells Fargo & Company to $446.00 in a research report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "overweight" rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company's price objective points to a potential upside of 25.43% from the stock's previous close.

MAR has been the subject of several other reports. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Marriott International from $343.00 to $384.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $331.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $356.00 to $383.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Marriott International from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $285.00 to $370.00 in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $356.00 to $372.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marriott International has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $373.47.

Marriott International Stock Performance

MAR traded down $3.49 during trading on Thursday, hitting $355.57. The stock had a trading volume of 179,676 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,578,303. The company has a market capitalization of $94.20 billion, a PE ratio of 37.39, a PEG ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 1.11. Marriott International has a twelve month low of $253.55 and a twelve month high of $380.00. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $341.88 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $319.21.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.72 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.56 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.59 billion. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.93% and a negative return on equity of 84.23%. Marriott International's revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.32 earnings per share. Marriott International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.380-11.630 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.990-3.060 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Marriott International will post 11.66 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marriott International news, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 63,000 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $359.22, for a total value of $22,630,860.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 113,617 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $40,813,498.74. The trade was a 35.67% 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, insider William P. Brown sold 9,456 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $358.25, for a total transaction of $3,387,612.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 11,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,940,750. The trade was a 46.23% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 95,540 shares of company stock valued at $34,274,055 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 11.43% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Marriott International

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Marriott International by 1.1% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,774,015 shares of the company's stock worth $5,410,384,000 after purchasing an additional 230,820 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in shares of Marriott International by 21.7% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,175,377 shares of the company's stock worth $2,389,635,000 after purchasing an additional 1,637,119 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake in shares of Marriott International by 7.2% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,921,767 shares of the company's stock worth $1,281,825,000 after purchasing an additional 330,952 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Marriott International by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,440,359 shares of the company's stock worth $1,377,577,000 after purchasing an additional 118,504 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital International Investors grew its stake in Marriott International by 7.1% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 4,107,531 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,274,475,000 after acquiring an additional 272,250 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Marriott International

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and resilient travel demand: Marriott reported adjusted EPS of $2.72, above estimates, with global RevPAR +4.2% and revenue up ~6% year-over-year — results cited as the primary near-term catalyst. Marriott International Reports First Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Raised full-year RevPAR outlook and development strength: Management raised annual room-revenue growth guidance and highlighted a record development pipeline (4,100+ properties, ~618k rooms), supporting longer-term growth. Marriott raises annual room revenue growth forecast amid strong travel demand
• Positive Sentiment: Share repurchases and capital returns: Marriott repurchased ~2.1M shares (~$0.7B) in Q1 and has returned >$1.2B YTD through buybacks and dividends, which supports EPS and shareholder value. Q1 results press release
• Neutral Sentiment: Guidance slightly mixed vs. Street: Marriott provided Q2 EPS guidance of $2.99–$3.06 (vs. consensus ~3.06) and FY adjusted EPS $11.38–$11.63 (vs. consensus ~11.61) — largely in line but a touch conservative at the midpoint. Guidance and RevPAR outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst PT trimmed but still shows upside: Robert W. Baird cut its price target marginally from $388 to $386 and set a Neutral rating — a small tweak that keeps implied upside but reduces near-term analyst enthusiasm. Baird price-target note
• Positive Sentiment: Deal activity and pipeline conversions: New partnerships and deals (Espire luxury resort, Vinpearl/Vinhomes developments, sale of Marco JW retaining Marriott management) expand pipeline and fee revenue potential. Espire partnership
• Negative Sentiment: Critical commentary on valuation: A Seeking Alpha piece argues the stock’s upside has “traveled too far,” highlighting valuation concerns and tempering bullish sentiment for some investors. Valuation critique

Marriott International Company Profile

Marriott International is a global lodging company that develops, manages and franchises a broad portfolio of hotels and related lodging facilities. Its core activities include hotel and resort management, franchise operations, property development and the provision of centralized services such as reservations, marketing and loyalty program management. The company's brand architecture spans market segments from luxury and premium to select-service and extended-stay, enabling it to serve a wide range of business and leisure travelers as well as corporate and group customers.

The company traces its roots to the hospitality business founded by J.

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