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

Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eight have given a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $343.4667.

MAR has been the subject of several research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on Marriott International from $329.00 to $369.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Barclays upped their price objective on Marriott International from $320.00 to $356.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Marriott International in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $357.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Marriott International from $328.00 to $331.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th.

Insider Activity

In other Marriott International news, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 63,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $359.22, for a total value of $22,630,860.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 113,617 shares in the company, valued at approximately $40,813,498.74. The trade was a 35.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Rajeev Menon sold 6,333 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.61, for a total value of $2,258,411.13. Following the transaction, the insider owned 9,492 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,384,942.12. This trade represents a 40.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 95,540 shares of company stock worth $34,274,055. 10.68% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marriott International

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of MAR. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in Marriott International in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. McMillan Office Inc. bought a new position in shares of Marriott International in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Marriott International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Basepoint Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in Marriott International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marriott International Stock Performance

NASDAQ MAR opened at $317.54 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $331.21 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $302.62. The stock has a market cap of $84.14 billion, a PE ratio of 33.46, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 1.09. Marriott International has a fifty-two week low of $205.40 and a fifty-two week high of $370.00.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $2.58 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.61 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $6.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.67 billion. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.93% and a negative return on equity of 84.23%. The firm’s revenue was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.45 earnings per share. Marriott International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.320-11.570 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 2.500-2.550 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Marriott International will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, February 26th will be given a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 26th. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.24%.

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.