Contrasting Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) & Whitbread (OTCMKTS:WTBDY)

Whitbread (OTCMKTS:WTBDY) and Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) are both consumer cyclical companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, dividends, profitability, earnings, institutional ownership, valuation and risk.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Whitbread and Marriott International’s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Whitbread	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Marriott International	$20.77 billion	2.79	$2.36 billion	$9.44	20.93

Marriott International has higher revenue and earnings than Whitbread.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

58.8% of Marriott International shares are owned by institutional investors. 12.3% of Marriott International shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent ratings and price targets for Whitbread and Marriott International, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Whitbread	1	0	1	0	2.00
Marriott International	1	8	6	0	2.33

Marriott International has a consensus target price of $213.93, suggesting a potential upside of 8.27%. Given Marriott International’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Marriott International is more favorable than Whitbread.

Profitability

This table compares Whitbread and Marriott International’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Whitbread	N/A	N/A	N/A
Marriott International	12.35%	-5,862.15%	10.37%

Summary

Marriott International beats Whitbread on 8 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Whitbread

Whitbread plc operates hotels and restaurants in the United Kingdom, Germany, and internationally. It operates hotels with rooms in the United Kingdom; Middle East; and Germany under the Premier Inn, ZIP by Premier Inn, and hub by Premier Inn brands. The company operates restaurants under the Brewers Fayre, Beefeater, Cookhouse & Pub, Bar+Block Steakhouse, Thyme, and Table Table brands in the United Kingdom. Whitbread plc was founded in 1742 and is headquartered in Dunstable, the United Kingdom.

About Marriott International

Marriott International, Inc. operates, franchises, and licenses hotel, residential, timeshare, and other lodging properties worldwide. The company operates through U.S. and Canada, and International segments. It operates its properties under the JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton, Ritz-Carlton Reserve, W Hotels, The Luxury Collection, St. Regis, EDITION, Bvlgari, Renaissance, Le Méridien, Marriott, Sheraton, Westin, Four Points, Delta Hotels by Marriott, Autograph Collection, Tribute Portfolio, Marriott Hotels, Marriott Executive Apartments, Marriott Vacation Club, Gaylord Hotels, Design Hotels, Courtyard, Residence Inn, Fairfield, SpringHill Suites, TownePlace Suites, Protea Hotels, Aloft Hotels, AC Hotels by Marriott, Element Hotels, and Moxy Hotels brand names. It operates properties under 30 brand names in 138 countries and territories. Marriott International, Inc. was founded in 1927 and is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland.