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

Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $289.8667.

Several research firms have weighed in on MAR. Truist Financial lifted their target price on Marriott International from $273.00 to $278.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 3rd. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $287.00 to $285.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Marriott International in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Marriott International from $302.00 to $296.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on Marriott International from $262.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 5th.

Marriott International Stock Performance

NASDAQ MAR opened at $305.05 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $274.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $270.00. Marriott International has a twelve month low of $205.40 and a twelve month high of $307.52. The stock has a market cap of $81.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.21, a PEG ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 1.36.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $2.47 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.38 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $1.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.46 billion. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 89.29% and a net margin of 10.07%. Marriott International has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 2.540-2.620 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 9.980-10.060 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Marriott International will post 10.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Thursday, August 7th that permits the company to repurchase 25,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 20th. Marriott International’s payout ratio is currently 28.30%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider William P. Brown sold 6,666 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.04, for a total value of $1,866,746.64. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 11,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,080,440. The trade was a 37.73% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Rena Hozore Reiss sold 5,483 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $287.11, for a total transaction of $1,574,224.13. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 39,360 shares in the company, valued at $11,300,649.60. The trade was a 12.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 86,672 shares of company stock valued at $25,174,655. 10.68% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Marriott International in the second quarter valued at $613,000. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV lifted its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 9.5% during the first quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV now owns 62,995 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,005,000 after acquiring an additional 5,482 shares during the period. Permanens Capital L.P. boosted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 15.6% in the 1st quarter. Permanens Capital L.P. now owns 15,396 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,667,000 after purchasing an additional 2,076 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position in shares of Marriott International by 3.8% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 219,939 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,389,000 after purchasing an additional 8,149 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Swedbank AB lifted its holdings in Marriott International by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 68,429 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,300,000 after purchasing an additional 881 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.