Argus Raises Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) Price Target to $330.00

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) had its price objective upped by equities research analysts at Argus from $300.00 to $330.00 in a research report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Argus’ price target indicates a potential upside of 19.06% from the company’s current price.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $249.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on Marriott International from $295.00 to $283.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Macquarie reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $245.00 target price on shares of Marriott International in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. 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 report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Marriott International from $251.00 to $269.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $272.15.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Marriott International stock opened at $277.18 on Thursday. Marriott International has a fifty-two week low of $204.55 and a fifty-two week high of $295.45. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $282.60 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $255.65. The stock has a market cap of $77.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.99, a PEG ratio of 4.48 and a beta of 1.57.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.31 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $6.26 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.27 billion. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 177.91% and a net margin of 11.18%. Marriott International’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.11 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Marriott International will post 9.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marriott International

In other news, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.49, for a total value of $137,245.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 12,286 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,372,384.14. This represents a 3.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Felitia Lee sold 916 shares of the business’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 value of $253,255.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,609 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,550,776.32. This represents a 14.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 13,815 shares of company stock valued at $3,919,739 over the last 90 days. 12.32% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Jensen Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in Marriott International during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $793,000. BayBridge Capital Group LLC bought a new stake in Marriott International in the third quarter worth $1,254,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its stake in Marriott International by 0.5% during the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 566,548 shares of the company’s stock valued at $140,844,000 after purchasing an additional 2,723 shares in the last quarter. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas purchased a new position in shares of Marriott International in the 3rd quarter worth $2,721,000. Finally, Kinsale Capital Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the 3rd quarter valued at about $3,769,000. 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.