Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) Stock Price Target Raised at Citigroup

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) had its price objective upped by investment analysts at Citigroup from $365.00 to $450.00 in a report released on Friday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. Citigroup‘s target price points to a potential upside of 8.05% from the company’s previous close.

Several other equities research analysts also recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $406.00 to $456.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Marriott International from $363.00 to $409.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Marriott International from $384.00 to $403.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Mizuho decreased their price objective on Marriott International from $384.00 to $374.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on Marriott International from $379.00 to $372.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $399.04.

Marriott International Trading Down 0.2%

NASDAQ MAR traded down $0.81 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $416.47. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,677,669 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,571,000. The firm has a market capitalization of $107.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.56, a PEG ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 1.15. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $365.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $357.63. Marriott International has a twelve month low of $280.99 and a twelve month high of $433.30.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 2nd. The company reported $3.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.84 by $0.18. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.68% and a negative return on equity of 69.94%. The firm had revenue of $7 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.93 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.47 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Marriott International will post 12.10 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Marriott International

In other Marriott International news, insider David S. Marriott sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $352.09, for a total value of $1,232,315.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 282,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $99,424,230.47. This trade represents a 1.22% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Rena Reiss sold 4,969 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $423.32, for a total transaction of $2,103,477.08. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 38,953 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,489,583.96. This represents a 11.31% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 77,824 shares of company stock valued at $32,243,110 over the last three months. Insiders own 11.43% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Marriott International

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MAR. State Street Corp grew its stake in Marriott International by 2.9% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 9,644,773 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,574,256,000 after purchasing an additional 272,044 shares during the period. Jupiter Topco LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the 2nd quarter valued at $81,872,000. William Blair Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Marriott International by 255.5% during the 2nd quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 300,872 shares of the company’s stock worth $111,500,000 after purchasing an additional 216,241 shares during the period. Danske Bank A S raised its stake in shares of Marriott International by 170.4% during the 2nd quarter. Danske Bank A S now owns 326,743 shares of the company’s stock worth $121,088,000 after purchasing an additional 205,886 shares during the period. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Marriott International in the 3rd quarter worth about $65,604,000. 70.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Marriott International

Here are the key news stories impacting Marriott International this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Marriott declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.73 per share, payable December 31 to shareholders of record November 19. The annualized dividend is $2.92, a modest income-return component for investors. Marriott dividend announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Recent quarterly results beat analyst estimates for earnings and revenue; a MarketBeat review noted that fee growth outpaced room revenue, supporting the view that Marriott’s performance is not solely dependent on travel demand. Marriott earnings analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Marriott is entering Laos with a Luxury Collection property, extending its international brand presence and potential fee-generating hotel network. Marriott debuts in Laos
• Positive Sentiment: Recent headlines point to bullish views from Robert W. Baird, Barclays and Goldman Sachs, while Zacks characterized MAR as a strong momentum stock. These indicate favorable analyst and trend sentiment, though the provided reports give no price targets or detailed rationale. Baird view Barclays view Goldman Sachs view Zacks momentum article
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Anthony Capuano sold 63,355 shares for about $26.6 million, reducing his direct stake by 55.47%. EVPs Rena Reiss and Benjamin Breland also sold shares. Multiple insider sales can raise investor concern, although the filings alone do not establish the executives’ reasons. CEO SEC filing Rena Reiss SEC filing Benjamin Breland SEC filing
• Negative Sentiment: Freedom Broker downgraded Marriott from “strong buy” to “hold,” tempering the otherwise positive analyst headlines. Freedom Broker ratings

About Marriott International

Marriott International is a global lodging company that manages, franchises, and licenses hotels, resorts, and other accommodations. Its portfolio spans luxury, premium, select-service, and extended-stay brands, including The Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, W Hotels, Marriott, Sheraton, Courtyard, Residence Inn, and Moxy.

The company traces its origins to a root beer stand opened by J. Willard and Alice Marriott in Washington, DC, in 1927. It entered the lodging business in the 1950s and is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland.

Marriott serves travelers in countries and territories around the world and offers the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program.