Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the eighteen research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eight have given a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $343.4667.

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on MAR shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Marriott International from $323.00 to $356.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Marriott International from $285.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Truist Financial upped their price target on Marriott International from $283.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on Marriott International from $329.00 to $369.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Marriott International from $328.00 to $331.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MAR opened at $326.00 on Wednesday. Marriott International has a 1 year low of $205.40 and a 1 year high of $370.00. The firm has a market cap of $86.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.35, a PEG ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 1.09. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $330.47 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $297.81.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.61 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $6.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.67 billion. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.93% and a negative return on equity of 84.23%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.45 EPS. 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. On average, research analysts predict that Marriott International will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 26th will be issued a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 26th. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.24%.

Insider Transactions at Marriott International

In related news, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $358.03, for a total value of $716,060.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 26,399 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,451,633.97. This trade represents a 7.04% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 63,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $359.22, for a total transaction of $22,630,860.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 113,617 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $40,813,498.74. This trade represents a 35.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 97,157 shares of company stock valued at $34,768,825. Insiders own 10.68% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in Marriott International by 10.8% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 203,162 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,046,000 after acquiring an additional 19,761 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its position in Marriott International by 62.7% in the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 640,350 shares of the company’s stock worth $199,069,000 after purchasing an additional 246,681 shares during the period. Worthington Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in Marriott International in the 4th quarter valued at $655,000. Bayban acquired a new position in shares of Marriott International in the 4th quarter valued at $68,000. Finally, Taylor Securities Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the 4th quarter valued at about $249,000. Institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Marriott International Company Profile

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.