Principal Financial Group Inc. Decreases Position in Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation $VAC

Principal Financial Group Inc. lessened its position in Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation (NYSE:VAC) by 14.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 62,446 shares of the company’s stock after selling 10,600 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.18% of Marriott Vacations Worldwide worth $4,156,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in Marriott Vacations Worldwide by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,047 shares of the company’s stock valued at $365,000 after acquiring an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. raised its stake in shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide by 90.6% in the second quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 427 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide by 79.8% in the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 473 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide by 21.8% during the third quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 1,335 shares of the company’s stock valued at $89,000 after purchasing an additional 239 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide by 37.1% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 950 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,000 after buying an additional 257 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.52% of the company’s stock.

Marriott Vacations Worldwide Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of VAC stock opened at $53.97 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.29, a current ratio of 3.87 and a quick ratio of 3.22. The company has a market cap of $1.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.10, a PEG ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.33. Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation has a 1 year low of $44.58 and a 1 year high of $91.18. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $57.80 and a 200-day moving average price of $63.82.

Marriott Vacations Worldwide Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 24th were paid a dividend of $0.80 per share. This is a boost from Marriott Vacations Worldwide’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 24th. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.9%. Marriott Vacations Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio is presently 71.75%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on VAC. Morgan Stanley reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $52.00 target price (down previously from $70.00) on shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide in a research report on Friday, January 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide from $63.00 to $54.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. Citizens Jmp dropped their target price on shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide from $115.00 to $60.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $37.00 target price for the company. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Marriott Vacations Worldwide currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $61.13.

Insider Activity at Marriott Vacations Worldwide

In other news, Director William W. Mccarten purchased 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 20th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $48.08 per share, with a total value of $240,400.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 13,708 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $659,080.64. This trade represents a 57.42% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Dianna Morgan purchased 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $51.22 per share, with a total value of $25,610.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 23,094 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,182,874.68. This trade represents a 2.21% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders purchased a total of 96,209 shares of company stock worth $4,573,353 in the last quarter. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Marriott Vacations Worldwide 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.