Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) Price Target Raised to $298.00

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) had its price target lifted by Morgan Stanley from $289.00 to $298.00 in a research report report published on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an overweight rating on the stock.

A number of other brokerages also recently weighed in on MAR. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Marriott International from $280.00 to $314.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $246.00 to $293.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Marriott International from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $330.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $251.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Marriott International from $251.00 to $269.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $286.45.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MAR opened at $262.63 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $281.99 and a 200 day simple moving average of $268.37. Marriott International has a 52 week low of $204.55 and a 52 week high of $307.52. The stock has a market cap of $72.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.57, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.58.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.45 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, analysts predict that Marriott International will post 10.1 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, February 27th will be paid a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.96%. Marriott International’s payout ratio is currently 30.29%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider William P. Brown sold 12,642 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.63, for a total transaction of $3,610,934.46. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 30,919 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,831,393.97. This trade represents a 29.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Rena Hozore Reiss sold 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $286.65, for a total value of $1,003,275.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 24,733 shares in the company, valued at $7,089,714.45. The trade was a 12.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 31,694 shares of company stock worth $8,938,132 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 12.32% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Marriott International

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. FMR LLC grew its holdings in Marriott International by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,973,897 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,945,299,000 after acquiring an additional 56,978 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Marriott International by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,026,529 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,398,321,000 after purchasing an additional 60,458 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors grew its stake in shares of Marriott International by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 4,720,306 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,316,682,000 after purchasing an additional 15,923 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in Marriott International by 17.4% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,469,070 shares of the company’s stock worth $967,662,000 after buying an additional 512,963 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

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.