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

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) had its price objective upped by Argus from $300.00 to $330.00 in a research report sent to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. Argus currently has a buy rating on the stock.

Several other brokerages have also issued reports on MAR. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on shares of Marriott International from $262.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Marriott International from $258.00 to $264.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Marriott International from $252.00 to $283.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Bank of America raised their target price on Marriott International from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Marriott International currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $272.15.

Marriott International Stock Down 0.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ:MAR opened at $276.00 on Thursday. Marriott International has a 12 month low of $204.55 and a 12 month high of $295.45. The firm has a market cap of $76.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.87, a P/E/G ratio of 4.48 and a beta of 1.57. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $282.64 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $255.51.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.26 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.31 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.27 billion. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 177.91% and a net margin of 11.18%. The company’s revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.11 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Marriott International will post 9.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 21st were paid a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.91%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.36%.

Insider Transactions at Marriott International

In related news, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.49, for a total transaction of $137,245.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 12,286 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,372,384.14. This represents a 3.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider William P. Brown sold 1,707 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.30, for a total value of $485,300.10. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 23,077 shares in the company, valued at $6,560,791.10. This trade represents a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 13,815 shares of company stock valued at $3,919,739 over the last 90 days. 10.07% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in Marriott International by 10.8% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 379 shares of the company’s stock worth $94,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 8,698 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,162,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. Haverford Trust Co raised its stake in Marriott International by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Haverford Trust Co now owns 4,207 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,046,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Marriott International by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,010 shares of the company’s stock valued at $500,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton boosted its position in Marriott International by 3.7% during the third quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 1,443 shares of the company’s stock worth $359,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

About Marriott International

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.