Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) Upgraded to “Outperform” at Evercore ISI

Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) from an in-line rating to an outperform rating in a research report released on Tuesday, MarketBeat.com reports. They currently have $330.00 price target on the stock.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on MAR. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Marriott International from $238.00 to $261.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Argus increased their price target on shares of Marriott International from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of Marriott International from $295.00 to $283.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Mizuho raised their target price on Marriott International from $233.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Marriott International from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $276.35.

Marriott International Stock Performance

NASDAQ MAR opened at $290.75 on Tuesday. Marriott International has a one year low of $204.55 and a one year high of $295.45. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $283.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $259.42. The company has a market cap of $80.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.41, a P/E/G ratio of 4.68 and a beta of 1.57.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.26 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.31 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.27 billion. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 177.91% and a net margin of 11.18%. The business’s revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.11 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Marriott International will post 9.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 21st were paid a $0.63 dividend. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 21st. Marriott International’s payout ratio is presently 26.36%.

Insider Activity at Marriott International

In related news, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 8,332 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.49, for a total value of $2,370,370.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 108,361 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $30,827,620.89. This represents a 7.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Felitia Lee sold 916 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $276.48, for a total transaction of $253,255.68. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,609 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,550,776.32. The trade was a 14.04 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 13,315 shares of company stock valued at $3,782,494 over the last 90 days. 10.07% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marriott International

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 10.8% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 379 shares of the company’s stock valued at $94,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. TFG Advisers LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. TFG Advisers LLC now owns 4,426 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,235,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 8,698 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,162,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management raised its position in Marriott International by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 3,290 shares of the company’s stock valued at $918,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Evermay Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Marriott International by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Evermay Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,415 shares of the company’s stock worth $953,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.