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

Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-two brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $275.15.

MAR has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Marriott International from $302.00 to $299.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Melius Research upgraded shares of Marriott International to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $245.00 price target (down previously from $313.00) on shares of Marriott International in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Dbs Bank upgraded shares of Marriott International from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $295.00 to $240.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th.

Marriott International Price Performance

Shares of Marriott International stock opened at $265.63 on Monday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $245.38 and a 200-day moving average of $265.58. The company has a market capitalization of $72.75 billion, a PE ratio of 31.93, a P/E/G ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.42. Marriott International has a 1-year low of $204.55 and a 1-year high of $307.52.

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

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd will be paid a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.01%. 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. Marriott International’s payout ratio is presently 30.52%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 1,000 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.21, for a total transaction of $270,210.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 20,724 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,599,832.04. The trade was 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. Also, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 12,000 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.90, for a total transaction of $3,166,800.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 124,067 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,741,281.30. This trade represents a 8.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 10.68% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Marriott International

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Marriott International by 0.6% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. TFG Advisers LLC raised its stake in shares of Marriott International by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. TFG Advisers LLC now owns 4,426 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,235,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC increased its stake in Marriott International by 2.1% in the first quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 1,831 shares of the company’s stock valued at $436,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in Marriott International by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 3,004 shares of the company’s stock worth $838,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Finally, Motley Fool Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Marriott International by 0.3% in the first quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC now owns 12,824 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,055,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.