Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation (NYSE:VAC) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation (NYSE:VAC) has earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the twelve research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have given a hold recommendation and seven have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $86.70.

VAC has been the topic of several recent research reports. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Mizuho set a $103.00 price objective on Marriott Vacations Worldwide in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Barclays upped their target price on Marriott Vacations Worldwide from $80.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Marriott Vacations Worldwide from $51.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marriott Vacations Worldwide

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VAC. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its stake in Marriott Vacations Worldwide by 18.2% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 140,662 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,036,000 after acquiring an additional 21,623 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in Marriott Vacations Worldwide by 147.9% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 8,487 shares of the company’s stock worth $545,000 after acquiring an additional 5,064 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in Marriott Vacations Worldwide by 4.7% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 100,636 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,465,000 after purchasing an additional 4,497 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide by 102.9% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 212,199 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,344,000 after purchasing an additional 107,598 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide by 22.7% in the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 121,820 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,809,000 after purchasing an additional 22,506 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.52% of the company’s stock.

Marriott Vacations Worldwide Stock Performance

Shares of VAC stock opened at $101.62 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $96.12 and a 200 day moving average of $76.73. Marriott Vacations Worldwide has a 1 year low of $44.58 and a 1 year high of $105.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.80, a current ratio of 3.30 and a quick ratio of 2.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -10.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.23.

Marriott Vacations Worldwide (NYSE:VAC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.67 by ($0.43). Marriott Vacations Worldwide had a negative net margin of 6.72% and a positive return on equity of 11.37%. The firm had revenue of $1.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.66 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Marriott Vacations Worldwide will post 7.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Marriott Vacations Worldwide Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 27th were paid a $0.80 dividend. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 27th. Marriott Vacations Worldwide’s payout ratio is currently -31.71%.

Marriott Vacations Worldwide Company Profile

Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation, headquartered in Orlando, Florida, specializes in the development, marketing and management of vacation ownership resorts and related products. Originally launched as a division of Marriott International in 1984, the company became a separate publicly traded entity in 2011. Since then, it has expanded its offerings through both organic growth and strategic acquisitions, establishing itself as a leading provider in the global timeshare industry.

The company’s core business activities include selling vacation ownership interests, managing a growing portfolio of branded resorts and operating a loyalty program that allows members to exchange or use points at affiliated properties.