UBS Group Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) Stock Price

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) had its target price lowered by equities research analysts at UBS Group from $302.00 to $299.00 in a research report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. UBS Group’s price objective indicates a potential upside of 14.70% from the company’s current price.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on MAR. Barclays reduced their price objective on Marriott International from $283.00 to $236.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Marriott International from $275.00 to $267.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Marriott International from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Marriott International from $285.00 to $277.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Melius Research upgraded Marriott International to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $276.50.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Shares of Marriott International stock opened at $260.69 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $240.95 and a 200 day simple moving average of $266.87. Marriott International has a 12-month low of $204.55 and a 12-month high of $307.52. The company has a market capitalization of $71.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.39.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.25 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $6.26 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.19 billion. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 116.67% and a net margin of 9.46%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.13 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Marriott International will post 10.1 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marriott International

In other Marriott International news, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.21, for a total value of $270,210.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 20,724 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,599,832.04. This trade represents a 4.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Susan C. Schwab sold 1,054 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $277.48, for a total value of $292,463.92. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,551 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,262,811.48. This represents a 18.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 10.68% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Marriott International

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Marriott International by 0.9% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,236,478 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,820,329,000 after buying an additional 184,387 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its stake in Marriott International by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,973,897 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,945,299,000 after purchasing an additional 56,978 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in Marriott International by 16.4% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,427,410 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,292,809,000 after purchasing an additional 766,309 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Marriott International by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,026,529 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,398,321,000 after purchasing an additional 60,458 shares during the period. Finally, Capital International Investors increased its stake in Marriott International by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 4,720,306 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,316,682,000 after purchasing an additional 15,923 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Marriott International Company Profile

Marriott International, Inc engages in operating, franchising, and licensing hotel, residential, timeshare, and other lodging properties worldwide. It operates its properties under the JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton, The Luxury Collection, W Hotels, St. Regis, EDITION, Bvlgari, Marriott Hotels, Sheraton, Westin, Autograph Collection, Renaissance Hotels, Le Méridien, Delta Hotels by Marriott, Tribute Portfolio, Gaylord Hotels, Design Hotels, Marriott Executive Apartments, Apartments by Marriott Bonvoy, Courtyard by Marriott, Fairfield by Marriott, Residence Inn by Marriott, SpringHill Suites by Marriott, Four Points by Sheraton, TownePlace Suites by Marriott, Aloft Hotels, AC Hotels by Marriott, Moxy Hotels, Element Hotels, Protea Hotels by Marriott, City Express by Marriott, and St.