Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) Upgraded at Dbs Bank

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) was upgraded by analysts at Dbs Bank from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other analysts have also recently weighed in on MAR. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target 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. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Marriott International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $226.00 to $303.00 in a research note on Monday. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $245.00 price target (down previously from $313.00) on shares of Marriott International in a research note on Monday, April 14th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $275.00 to $267.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $276.60.

Marriott International Trading Down 0.6%

MAR opened at $272.59 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $74.66 billion, a PE ratio of 32.76, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.39. Marriott International has a twelve month low of $204.55 and a twelve month high of $307.52. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $238.33 and its 200 day moving average price is $266.61.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.25 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.19 billion. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.46% and a negative return on equity of 116.67%. Marriott International’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.13 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Marriott International will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marriott International

In other Marriott International news, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.21, for a total value of $270,210.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 20,724 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,599,832.04. This represents a 4.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Susan C. Schwab sold 1,054 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were 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 directly owns 4,551 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,262,811.48. This represents a 18.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 32,694 shares of company stock valued at $9,208,342. Insiders own 10.68% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Marriott International in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. purchased a new position in shares of Marriott International in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc grew its position in Marriott International by 112.2% during the 4th quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 104 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its position in Marriott International by 494.4% during the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 107 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morse Asset Management Inc purchased a new position in Marriott International during the 1st quarter worth $30,000. 70.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.