Utah Retirement Systems Decreases Holdings in Marriott Vacations Worldwide Co. (NYSE:VAC)

Utah Retirement Systems cut its holdings in shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide Co. (NYSE:VAC – Get Rating) by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,000 shares of the company’s stock after selling 100 shares during the quarter. Utah Retirement Systems’ holdings in Marriott Vacations Worldwide were worth $244,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cibc World Market Inc. increased its holdings in Marriott Vacations Worldwide by 3.7% in the 2nd quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 1,919 shares of the company’s stock worth $223,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its holdings in Marriott Vacations Worldwide by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,625 shares of the company’s stock worth $442,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Ethic Inc. increased its holdings in Marriott Vacations Worldwide by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 2,779 shares of the company’s stock worth $438,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates increased its holdings in Marriott Vacations Worldwide by 6.0% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 2,004 shares of the company’s stock worth $316,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its holdings in Marriott Vacations Worldwide by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 4,329 shares of the company’s stock worth $527,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. 82.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VAC has been the subject of several recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on Marriott Vacations Worldwide from $191.00 to $188.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 24th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Marriott Vacations Worldwide from $195.00 to $184.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 3rd. Bank of America began coverage on Marriott Vacations Worldwide in a research note on Monday, February 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $180.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com downgraded Marriott Vacations Worldwide from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Credit Suisse Group cut their target price on Marriott Vacations Worldwide from $219.00 to $214.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $192.33.

Marriott Vacations Worldwide Stock Performance

Shares of VAC opened at $136.37 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $5.08 billion, a PE ratio of 15.48 and a beta of 2.06. The company has a current ratio of 3.26, a quick ratio of 2.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.01. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $153.10 and a 200-day moving average price of $143.90. Marriott Vacations Worldwide Co. has a 12-month low of $110.08 and a 12-month high of $165.85.

Marriott Vacations Worldwide (NYSE:VAC – Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 22nd. The company reported $2.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.85 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $1.19 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. Marriott Vacations Worldwide had a net margin of 8.40% and a return on equity of 17.13%. The business’s revenue was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.38 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Marriott Vacations Worldwide Co. will post 10.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marriott Vacations Worldwide Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.72 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 1st. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.11%. Marriott Vacations Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.69%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Dwight D. Smith sold 2,627 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.00, for a total transaction of $412,439.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 14,485 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,274,145. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 2.60% of the company’s stock.

About Marriott Vacations Worldwide

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Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corp. is a global vacation company engaged in vacation ownership, exchange, rental and resort and property management, along with related businesses, products and services. It operates through Vacation Ownership and Exchange & Third-Party Management. The Vacation Ownership segment develops, markets, sells, and manages vacation ownership and related products under the Marriott Vacation Club, Grand Residences by Marriott, Sheraton Vacation Club, Westin Vacation Club, and Hyatt Residence Club brands.