Marriott International Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NASDAQ:MAR)

Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Tuesday. Traders acquired 32,765 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 933% compared to the typical volume of 3,173 call options.

Insider Transactions at Marriott International

In other news, insider William P. Brown sold 9,456 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $358.25, for a total value of $3,387,612.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 11,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,940,750. This represents a 46.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 63,000 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $359.22, for a total transaction of $22,630,860.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 113,617 shares in the company, valued at approximately $40,813,498.74. This trade represents a 35.67% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 95,540 shares of company stock valued at $34,274,055. Company insiders own 10.68% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. McMillan Office Inc. purchased a new position in Marriott International in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Triumph Capital Management bought a new stake in Marriott International during the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Basepoint Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Marriott International in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. bought a new position in Marriott International in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Marriott International

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

• Positive Sentiment: Marriott announced a joint venture to bring Lefay — a recognized luxury wellness hospitality brand — into its portfolio as a dedicated luxury wellness offering, leveraging Marriott Bonvoy distribution and opening a new high-margin segment for fee and management revenue. Marriott International and Lefay Announce Milestone Deal
• Positive Sentiment: Series by Marriott made its Japan debut with Sugata Hotel Osaka Shinsaibashi, signaling continued brand expansion in Asia and incremental franchise/management fee upside from higher-demand markets. Series by Marriott Debuts in Japan
• Positive Sentiment: Marriott expanded its Vietnam pipeline with 10 new hotels and opened a Four Points by Sheraton in Cape Verde, reinforcing international room growth and long-term franchise/management fee visibility. Marriott expands Vietnam pipeline
• Positive Sentiment: Conversion/renovation financing closed (C-PACE $11M) to convert the MCM Elegante into a dual-branded Marriott property; such deals improve asset quality and expand fee-bearing rooms without Marriott carrying hotel-level debt. MCM Elegante Hotel secures C-PACE funds
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusually large options flow — about 32,765 call contracts traded (≈933% above average) — signals heightened short-term bullish positioning by traders but does not guarantee fundamental change.
• Negative Sentiment: Local developments: JW Marriott Marco Island will face higher property taxes after a recent purchase, which may modestly raise operating costs at that asset. JW Marriott Marco Island to pay more in property taxes

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on MAR shares. Barclays lifted their target price on Marriott International from $320.00 to $356.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $353.00 to $403.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $357.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Marriott International from $323.00 to $356.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Marriott International from $285.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Marriott International presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $343.47.

Marriott International Price Performance

NASDAQ MAR opened at $327.07 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $86.65 billion, a PE ratio of 34.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 1.09. Marriott International has a 1-year low of $205.40 and a 1-year high of $370.00. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $331.34 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $303.69.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $2.58 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.61 by ($0.03). Marriott International had a net margin of 9.93% and a negative return on equity of 84.23%. The firm had revenue of $6.69 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.67 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.45 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Marriott International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.320-11.570 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 2.500-2.550 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Marriott International will post 10.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 26th were issued a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 26th. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Marriott International’s payout ratio is 28.24%.

About Marriott International

Marriott International is a global lodging company that develops, manages and franchises a broad portfolio of hotels and related lodging facilities. Its core activities include hotel and resort management, franchise operations, property development and the provision of centralized services such as reservations, marketing and loyalty program management. The company’s brand architecture spans market segments from luxury and premium to select-service and extended-stay, enabling it to serve a wide range of business and leisure travelers as well as corporate and group customers.

The company traces its roots to the hospitality business founded by J.