Citigroup Issues Positive Forecast for Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) Stock Price

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) had its price objective boosted by Citigroup from $365.00 to $450.00 in a research report released on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the stock.

Several other brokerages have also issued reports on MAR. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Marriott International in a research note on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of Marriott International from $410.00 to $395.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Mizuho dropped their price target on Marriott International from $384.00 to $374.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Argus reduced their price objective on Marriott International from $445.00 to $425.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Marriott International from $388.00 to $406.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Marriott International currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $399.04.

Marriott International Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:MAR traded down $0.81 during trading on Friday, hitting $416.47. The stock had a trading volume of 1,685,415 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,487,814. The company has a market capitalization of $108.60 billion, a PE ratio of 41.56, a PEG ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 1.15. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $366.29 and its 200 day moving average is $358.15. Marriott International has a 12 month low of $280.99 and a 12 month high of $433.30.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 2nd. The company reported $3.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.84 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $7 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.93 billion. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 73.98% and a net margin of 9.68%. The firm’s revenue was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.47 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Marriott International will post 12.10 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Marriott International’s payout ratio is 29.14%.

Insider Transactions at Marriott International

In other news, insider Deborah Harrison sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $352.09, for a total transaction of $1,232,315.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 282,383 shares in the company, valued at $99,424,230.47. This represents a 1.22% 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, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 63,355 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $420.12, for a total transaction of $26,616,702.60. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 50,867 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,370,244.04. This trade represents a 55.47% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 77,824 shares of company stock valued at $32,243,110. 11.43% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Marriott International

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MAR. Valley National Advisers Inc. grew its stake in shares of Marriott International by 4,398.1% in the third quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 7,017 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,496,000 after acquiring an additional 6,861 shares during the period. VMS Asset Management Limited bought a new position in Marriott International during the third quarter valued at approximately $2,927,000. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its position in Marriott International by 62.5% during the second quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 34,640 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,837,000 after purchasing an additional 13,322 shares during the period. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. purchased a new stake in Marriott International in the third quarter worth approximately $1,249,000. Finally, Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd grew its position in Marriott International by 37.7% in the 1st quarter. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd now owns 12,686 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,149,000 after purchasing an additional 3,476 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

More Marriott International News

Here are the key news stories impacting Marriott International this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Marriott declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.73 per share, payable December 31 to shareholders of record November 19. The annualized dividend is $2.92, a modest income-return component for investors. Marriott dividend announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Recent quarterly results beat analyst estimates for earnings and revenue; a MarketBeat review noted that fee growth outpaced room revenue, supporting the view that Marriott’s performance is not solely dependent on travel demand. Marriott earnings analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Marriott is entering Laos with a Luxury Collection property, extending its international brand presence and potential fee-generating hotel network. Marriott debuts in Laos
• Positive Sentiment: Recent headlines point to bullish views from Robert W. Baird, Barclays and Goldman Sachs, while Zacks characterized MAR as a strong momentum stock. These indicate favorable analyst and trend sentiment, though the provided reports give no price targets or detailed rationale. Baird view Barclays view Goldman Sachs view Zacks momentum article
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Anthony Capuano sold 63,355 shares for about $26.6 million, reducing his direct stake by 55.47%. EVPs Rena Reiss and Benjamin Breland also sold shares. Multiple insider sales can raise investor concern, although the filings alone do not establish the executives’ reasons. CEO SEC filing Rena Reiss SEC filing Benjamin Breland SEC filing
• Negative Sentiment: Freedom Broker downgraded Marriott from “strong buy” to “hold,” tempering the otherwise positive analyst headlines. Freedom Broker ratings

About Marriott International

Marriott International is a global lodging company that manages, franchises, and licenses hotels, resorts, and other accommodations. Its portfolio spans luxury, premium, select-service, and extended-stay brands, including The Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, W Hotels, Marriott, Sheraton, Courtyard, Residence Inn, and Moxy.

The company traces its origins to a root beer stand opened by J. Willard and Alice Marriott in Washington, DC, in 1927. It entered the lodging business in the 1950s and is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland.

Marriott serves travelers in countries and territories around the world and offers the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program.