Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Receives $286.45 Consensus Price Target from Brokerages

Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) have received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the twenty brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $286.05.

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MAR. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Marriott International from $285.00 to $277.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $294.00 to $301.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Evercore ISI raised shares of Marriott International from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $330.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Marriott International from $246.00 to $293.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Susquehanna raised their target price on shares of Marriott International from $255.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th.

Marriott International Price Performance

Shares of Marriott International stock opened at $237.49 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.54, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.58. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $275.53 and its 200-day simple moving average is $269.81. Marriott International has a 12 month low of $204.55 and a 12 month high of $307.52.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.37 by $0.08. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.46% and a negative return on equity of 116.67%. Analysts anticipate that Marriott International will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 27th will be issued a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.06%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 27th. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.29%.

Insider Activity at Marriott International

In other Marriott International news, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $278.07, for a total value of $4,031,458.86. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 14,282 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,971,395.74. The trade was a 50.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Susan C. Schwab sold 1,054 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $277.48, for a total transaction of $292,463.92. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 4,551 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,262,811.48. This trade represents a 18.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 31,694 shares of company stock worth $8,938,132 over the last ninety days. 12.32% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC boosted its stake in Marriott International by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 5,554 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,549,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 10.8% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 379 shares of the company’s stock valued at $94,000 after buying an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. TFG Advisers LLC raised its position in Marriott International by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. TFG Advisers LLC now owns 4,426 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,235,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management lifted its stake in Marriott International by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 3,290 shares of the company’s stock worth $918,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Evermay Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Marriott International by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Evermay Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,415 shares of the company’s stock valued at $953,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.