Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the eighteen ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $343.4667.

MAR has been the topic of several research reports. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Marriott International from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the company from $285.00 to $370.00 in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $357.00 to $415.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Marriott International from $320.00 to $356.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Evercore boosted their price target on Marriott International from $320.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Marriott International from $355.00 to $398.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th.

Marriott International Trading Down 2.5%

Shares of NASDAQ MAR opened at $317.54 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $84.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 1.09. The business’s 50 day moving average is $331.21 and its 200-day moving average is $302.62. Marriott International has a 1-year low of $205.40 and a 1-year high of $370.00.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.61 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $6.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.67 billion. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.93% and a negative return on equity of 84.23%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.45 earnings per share. 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. Analysts forecast that Marriott International will post 10.1 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Rajeev Menon sold 6,333 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.61, for a total value of $2,258,411.13. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 9,492 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,384,942.12. The trade was a 40.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Drew Pinto sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $359.81, for a total transaction of $1,439,240.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 8,221 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,957,998.01. This trade represents a 32.73% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 95,540 shares of company stock valued at $34,274,055 over the last 90 days. 10.68% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marriott International

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MAR. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,774,015 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,410,384,000 after buying an additional 230,820 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Marriott International by 1.2% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 9,488,566 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,592,371,000 after buying an additional 114,973 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in Marriott International by 21.7% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,175,377 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,389,635,000 after acquiring an additional 1,637,119 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in Marriott International by 7.2% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,921,767 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,281,825,000 after acquiring an additional 330,952 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,440,359 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,377,577,000 after acquiring an additional 118,504 shares during the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.