Marriott Vacations Worldwide (NYSE:VAC) Shares Gap Up Following Strong Earnings

Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation (NYSE:VAC)’s stock price gapped up prior to trading on Thursday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The stock had previously closed at $58.00, but opened at $70.41. Marriott Vacations Worldwide shares last traded at $67.0860, with a volume of 251,980 shares changing hands.

The company reported $1.86 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.72 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $1.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.30 billion. Marriott Vacations Worldwide had a net margin of 3.44% and a return on equity of 11.44%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.86 EPS. Marriott Vacations Worldwide has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.050-7.800 EPS.

Marriott Vacations Worldwide Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 18th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th will be paid a $0.80 dividend. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.8%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 4th. Marriott Vacations Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio is currently 71.75%.

Key Marriott Vacations Worldwide News

Here are the key news stories impacting Marriott Vacations Worldwide this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat expectations — VAC reported $1.86 EPS vs. a $1.72 consensus and revenue of $1.32B vs. $1.30B, showing the business delivered better-than-expected underlying performance. Marriott Vacations Q4 earnings and transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised FY‑2026 EPS guidance — the company now targets $7.05–$7.80 vs. a ~6.83 consensus, implying meaningful upside to street estimates and signaling confidence in cash generation. Business Wire: Q4 and FY2026 guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst / investor commentary is constructive — a Seeking Alpha piece keeps a “buy” view citing ~9x earnings, strong free‑cash‑flow yield and a 5.7% dividend, reinforcing a value/recovery narrative that supports the rally. Marriott Vacations Q4 Review: Finding A Bottom
• Positive Sentiment: Short interest declined ~14.4% in February (now ~7.5% of float), reducing a potential source of selling pressure and making price moves more one‑directional on positive catalysts.
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue was slightly down year‑over‑year (‑0.3%) and Q4 EPS is level with the prior year; mixed operational trends mean execution on the turnaround will be watched closely. MarketBeat: Q4 results and conference call
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor materials (press release and slide deck) are available for deeper review — useful for assessing assumptions behind the guidance and securitization plans that management highlighted. Slide deck / press materials
• Negative Sentiment: Large one‑time charges drove a reported net loss — MVW recorded a $431M net loss attributable to common stockholders in Q4, reflecting $546M of impairments, restructuring and modernization expenses that materially depressed GAAP results. Business Wire: Q4 financial results
• Negative Sentiment: Strategic refocus requires execution — management is resetting the portfolio (higher‑performing assets, securitization capacity changes) which entails execution risk, near‑term costs, and potential additional impairments during the turnaround. TipRanks: Q4 losses and refocus plans

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VAC has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reissued an “underweight” rating and set a $52.00 price objective (down from $70.00) on shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide in a report on Friday, January 16th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Mizuho cut shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $85.00 to $58.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide from $87.00 to $64.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Truist Financial cut their target price on shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide from $127.00 to $81.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $61.38.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide by 627.8% in the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 393 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 339 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. increased its holdings in Marriott Vacations Worldwide by 90.6% during the 2nd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 427 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares during the period. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc raised its position in Marriott Vacations Worldwide by 1,828.0% during the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 482 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 457 shares during the last quarter. 89.52% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marriott Vacations Worldwide Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.29, a quick ratio of 3.22 and a current ratio of 3.87. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $57.96 and a 200 day simple moving average of $63.01. The firm has a market cap of $2.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.33.

About Marriott Vacations Worldwide

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.