Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-two brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $275.15.

MAR has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Dbs Bank upgraded shares of Marriott International from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Evercore ISI raised shares of Marriott International from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $330.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Truist Financial lowered their price target on shares of Marriott International from $300.00 to $273.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Melius Research upgraded shares of Marriott International to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Marriott International from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Marriott International stock opened at $263.49 on Monday. Marriott International has a fifty-two week low of $204.55 and a fifty-two week high of $307.52. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $243.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $265.98. The stock has a market cap of $72.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.39.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.25 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $6.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.19 billion. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 116.67% and a net margin of 9.46%. The company’s revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.13 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Marriott International will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. This is a positive change from Marriott International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.02%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio is 30.52%.

Insider Transactions at Marriott International

In other news, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.21, for a total value of $270,210.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 20,724 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,599,832.04. This represents a 4.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 10.68% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marriott International

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the 4th quarter valued at $580,922,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of Marriott International by 50.8% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,661,101 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,300,168,000 after purchasing an additional 1,570,144 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its stake in shares of Marriott International by 194.7% in the 1st 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. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Marriott International by 23,923.3% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 731,989 shares of the company’s stock valued at $174,360,000 after buying an additional 728,942 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in Marriott International in the first quarter worth $166,059,000. 70.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.