Investors Buy Large Volume of Call Options on Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR)

Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) saw unusually large options trading on Thursday. Traders acquired 31,615 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 928% compared to the average daily volume of 3,074 call options.

Marriott International Price Performance

MAR traded up $8.38 during trading on Thursday, hitting $362.33. The stock had a trading volume of 863,217 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,587,990. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $341.19 and a 200-day moving average price of $316.85. The firm has a market cap of $95.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.21, a P/E/G ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 1.10. Marriott International has a one year low of $240.36 and a one year high of $380.00.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share (EPS) 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 the consensus estimate of $6.67 billion. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.93% and a negative return on equity of 84.23%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.45 earnings per share. 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, sell-side analysts predict that Marriott International will post 11.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 26th were paid a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 26th. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.24%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on MAR shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Marriott International from $353.00 to $403.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on Marriott International from $283.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Marriott International from $356.00 to $383.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $357.00 to $415.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $331.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $357.27.

Insider Activity at Marriott International

In other news, insider William P. Brown sold 9,456 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $358.25, for a total transaction of $3,387,612.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 11,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,940,750. This represents a 46.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Drew Pinto sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $359.81, for a total value of $1,439,240.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 8,221 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,957,998.01. This represents a 32.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 95,540 shares of company stock valued at $34,274,055 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 11.43% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marriott International

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Marriott International by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,774,015 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,410,384,000 after acquiring an additional 230,820 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 21.7% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,175,377 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,389,635,000 after buying an additional 1,637,119 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 7.2% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,921,767 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,281,825,000 after buying an additional 330,952 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,440,359 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,377,577,000 after buying an additional 118,504 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital International Investors raised its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 7.1% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 4,107,531 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,274,475,000 after buying an additional 272,250 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

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.