Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) has received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $277.00.

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Barclays lowered their price target on Marriott International from $287.00 to $283.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Marriott International from $295.00 to $240.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. 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 report on Tuesday, February 4th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on Marriott International from $295.00 to $226.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Marriott International from $289.00 to $298.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marriott International

In related news, insider William P. Brown sold 12,642 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.63, for a total value of $3,610,934.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 30,919 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,831,393.97. The trade was a 29.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $278.07, for a total transaction 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. This represents a 50.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 31,694 shares of company stock valued at $8,938,132. 12.32% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marriott International

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Marriott International by 146.0% in the 1st quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,367 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,040,000 after purchasing an additional 2,592 shares during the last quarter. Vista Investment Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Marriott International by 1.2% during the first quarter. Vista Investment Partners LLC now owns 12,565 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,993,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. Grove Bank & Trust lifted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 15.1% during the first quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 1,527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $364,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Marriott International by 4.2% during the 1st quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 32,163 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,661,000 after purchasing an additional 1,286 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in Marriott International by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,997 shares of the company’s stock valued at $714,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Shares of MAR opened at $220.41 on Friday. Marriott International has a fifty-two week low of $204.55 and a fifty-two week high of $307.52. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $251.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $268.42. The company has a market capitalization of $60.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.42.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.45 earnings per share 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%. Equities research analysts forecast that Marriott International will post 10.1 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 27th were issued a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.14%. Marriott International’s payout ratio is presently 30.29%.

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.