Zacks Research Has Negative Outlook for MAR Q1 Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research has revised Marriott International's Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimate downward from $2.56 to $2.53.
• Marriott reported Q2 earnings of $2.65 per share, meeting the consensus estimate, with a revenue increase of 4.7% from the same quarter last year.
• The company has authorized a stock buyback plan for 25 million shares, indicating that it believes its stock is currently undervalued.

Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) - Investment analysts at Zacks Research reduced their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Marriott International in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, August 19th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the company will earn $2.53 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $2.56. The consensus estimate for Marriott International's current full-year earnings is $10.10 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Marriott International's Q2 2026 earnings at $2.99 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $3.06 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $11.22 EPS and Q2 2027 earnings at $3.36 EPS.

MAR has been the topic of several other research reports. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $285.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Marriott International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $226.00 to $303.00 in a research report on Monday, May 12th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on Marriott International from $285.00 to $280.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Dbs Bank raised shares of Marriott International from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their price target on Marriott International from $300.00 to $273.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Marriott International presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $281.00.

Marriott International Stock Down 1.9%

Shares of NASDAQ:MAR traded down $5.22 during trading on Friday, reaching $268.60. The stock had a trading volume of 1,259,664 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,691,818. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $269.30 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $259.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $72.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.44. Marriott International has a 52 week low of $205.40 and a 52 week high of $307.52.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The company reported $2.65 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.65. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.60% and a negative return on equity of 93.44%. The firm had revenue of $6.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.66 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.50 EPS. Marriott International's quarterly revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Marriott International has set its FY 2025 guidance at 9.850-10.080 EPS. Q3 2025 guidance at 2.310-2.390 EPS.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

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 $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 21st. Marriott International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.21%.

Marriott International announced that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Thursday, August 7th that permits the company to repurchase 25,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marriott International news, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 12,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.90, for a total transaction of $3,166,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 124,067 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,741,281.30. This trade represents a 8.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Rajeev Menon sold 2,500 shares of the firm'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 sale, the insider directly owned 5,706 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,530,805.68. This represents a 30.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 10.68% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marriott International

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Marriott International by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,543,195 shares of the company's stock worth $5,612,606,000 after acquiring an additional 306,717 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Marriott International by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 9,488,566 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,592,371,000 after acquiring an additional 114,973 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of Marriott International by 16.4% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,427,410 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,292,809,000 after acquiring an additional 766,309 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Marriott International by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,223,539 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,420,308,000 after acquiring an additional 102,798 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Marriott International by 5.0% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,330,656 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,183,178,000 after acquiring an additional 206,820 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company's stock.

About Marriott International

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.