Traders Buy High Volume of Marriott International Call Options (NASDAQ:MAR)

Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Tuesday. Investors purchased 49,780 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 1,971% compared to the typical daily volume of 2,404 call options.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Felitia Lee sold 1,617 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.98, for a total transaction of $494,769.66. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,893 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,497,160.14. This represents a 24.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 10.68% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Marriott International

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in Marriott International by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 8,887 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,479,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 39.1% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 5,805 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,383,000 after purchasing an additional 1,631 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP increased its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 39.6% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 19,332 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,605,000 after purchasing an additional 5,480 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Marriott International by 21.8% in the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 6,035 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,438,000 after buying an additional 1,079 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Marriott International by 7.9% during the second quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 8,079 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,207,000 after buying an additional 593 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Marriott International News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Revenue beat and upbeat full?year guidance — Q4 revenue of $6.69B topped estimates and Marriott issued FY?2026 EPS guidance of $11.32–11.57 (slightly above consensus), supporting a bullish view on earnings power. Marriott International Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Results
• Positive Sentiment: International and luxury demand drove RevPAR gains — management highlighted stronger international travel and luxury segment performance, which helped RevPAR rise ~6.1% internationally and underpins revenue growth expectations. Marriott Revenue Climbs on International, Luxury Strength
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst bullishness: BMO reiterated Buy and raised the price target to $400, citing stronger?than?expected 2026 growth and fee upside (co?branded card royalties, loyalty program). This supports further upside expectations. Marriott: Stronger-Than-Expected 2026 Growth and Fee Upside Underpin Buy Rating
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually large options activity — nearly 50k call contracts traded, signaling short?term bullish sentiment from traders and adding momentum to the stock move. (Transaction summary reported in market filings / trade data.)
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector tailwinds: Market commentary points to a broader travel rebound in 2026 (events, premium travel and business travel recovery) that favors hotel operators like Marriott. 3 Stocks to Play the Summer Travel Boom as Demand Surges Again
• Negative Sentiment: EPS slightly missed — adjusted EPS of $2.58 missed the $2.61 consensus by a few cents, tempering the headline beat on revenue and leaving near?term valuation sensitivity. Marriott Q4 Earnings Lag Estimates, Revenues Top, RevPAR Rises Y/Y
• Negative Sentiment: U.S. business travel weakness and government?shutdown drag — management warned U.S. room revenue growth will be soft as business travel lags, and the recent government shutdown dented Q4 corporate demand. This is a potential headwind to domestic RevPAR and short?term growth. Marriott projects weak room revenue growth on sluggish US budget travel demand

Marriott International Trading Up 8.5%

Shares of MAR stock opened at $359.35 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $314.82 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $286.70. Marriott International has a 12 month low of $205.40 and a 12 month high of $363.54. The stock has a market cap of $96.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.95, a P/E/G ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.13.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $2.58 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.61 by ($0.03). Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 89.29% and a net margin of 10.07%.The company had revenue of $6.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.67 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.45 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Marriott International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.320-11.570 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 2.500-2.550 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Marriott International will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Marriott International from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $285.00 to $370.00 in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on Marriott International from $287.00 to $285.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Marriott International in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Marriott International from $285.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Marriott International from $294.00 to $323.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $316.19.

About Marriott International

Marriott International is a global lodging company that develops, manages and franchises a broad portfolio of hotels and related lodging facilities. Its core activities include hotel and resort management, franchise operations, property development and the provision of centralized services such as reservations, marketing and loyalty program management. The company’s brand architecture spans market segments from luxury and premium to select-service and extended-stay, enabling it to serve a wide range of business and leisure travelers as well as corporate and group customers.

The company traces its roots to the hospitality business founded by J.