Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) Price Target Raised to $285.00

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) had its price target upped by Robert W. Baird from $265.00 to $285.00 in a report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. Robert W. Baird currently has a neutral rating on the stock.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Marriott International from $302.00 to $299.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Marriott International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $226.00 to $303.00 in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of 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 lowered their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $275.00 to $267.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $245.00 price objective (down previously from $313.00) on shares of Marriott International in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $276.90.

Marriott International Trading Up 0.4%

MAR opened at $272.58 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $268.54 and its 200-day moving average is $262.37. Marriott International has a 1-year low of $204.55 and a 1-year high of $307.52. The company has a market cap of $74.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.05, a PEG ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 1.41.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.32 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.25 by $0.07. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.75% and a negative return on equity of 100.64%. The business had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.19 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.13 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Marriott International will post 10.1 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd were paid a $0.67 dividend. This is a positive change from Marriott International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.98%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.52%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.21, for a total value of $270,210.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 12,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.90, for a total transaction of $3,166,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 124,067 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $32,741,281.30. The trade was a 8.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,107,710 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 10.68% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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

About Marriott International

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.