Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Stifel Nicolaus Analyst Says

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) had its price objective lifted by Stifel Nicolaus from $252.00 to $283.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “hold” rating on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ price target would indicate a potential downside of 1.74% from the stock’s current price.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Marriott International from $258.00 to $264.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Marriott International from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Marriott International in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. They set a “buy” rating and a $267.00 price objective for the company. TD Cowen reduced their price target on Marriott International from $295.00 to $283.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Marriott International from $240.00 to $249.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $260.20.

Marriott International Price Performance

MAR opened at $288.00 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $262.99 and a 200 day simple moving average of $243.80. The company has a market cap of $80.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.59 and a beta of 1.58. Marriott International has a fifty-two week low of $200.94 and a fifty-two week high of $289.63.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last announced 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). Marriott International had a net margin of 11.18% and a negative return on equity of 177.91%. The firm had revenue of $6.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.27 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.11 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Marriott International will post 9.26 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 2,360 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.41, for a total transaction of $673,567.60. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 39,726 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,338,197.66. This represents a 5.61 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider William P. Brown sold 1,707 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.30, for a total value of $485,300.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 23,077 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,560,791.10. This represents a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 13,815 shares of company stock valued at $3,919,739. Corporate insiders own 10.07% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marriott International

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Quent Capital LLC increased its stake in Marriott International by 7.9% in the 1st quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 644 shares of the company’s stock worth $162,000 after buying an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. SVB Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Marriott International by 2.8% in the 1st quarter. SVB Wealth LLC now owns 1,891 shares of the company’s stock worth $477,000 after buying an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Marriott International by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 13,396 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,380,000 after buying an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 4.8% in the 1st quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 2,494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $629,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares during the last quarter. Finally, New Covenant Trust Company N.A. purchased a new position in Marriott International in the first quarter worth about $44,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

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.