Alliancebernstein L.P. Acquires 21,224 Shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide Co. (NYSE:VAC)

Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its position in Marriott Vacations Worldwide Co. (NYSE:VAC - Free Report) by 54.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 60,142 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 21,224 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned about 0.17% of Marriott Vacations Worldwide worth $5,401,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its holdings in Marriott Vacations Worldwide by 45.3% in the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 475,938 shares of the company's stock worth $42,739,000 after purchasing an additional 148,457 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Marriott Vacations Worldwide in the fourth quarter worth about $31,677,000. Prudential Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide in the fourth quarter worth about $1,564,000. Fox Run Management L.L.C. purchased a new position in shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide during the 4th quarter valued at about $560,000. Finally, KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new stake in Marriott Vacations Worldwide in the 4th quarter worth approximately $633,000. 89.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Marriott Vacations Worldwide Price Performance

VAC traded up $0.44 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $53.03. The company's stock had a trading volume of 303,842 shares, compared to its average volume of 432,964. The stock has a market cap of $1.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.10, a P/E/G ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 1.66. The business's 50-day moving average price is $68.44 and its 200-day moving average price is $80.39. The company has a current ratio of 3.53, a quick ratio of 2.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.19. Marriott Vacations Worldwide Co. has a 12 month low of $49.22 and a 12 month high of $103.51.

Marriott Vacations Worldwide (NYSE:VAC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $1.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.35. Marriott Vacations Worldwide had a net margin of 4.20% and a return on equity of 10.89%. The firm had revenue of $1.33 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.24 billion. Sell-side analysts expect that Marriott Vacations Worldwide Co. will post 6.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marriott Vacations Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th were issued a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 5th. Marriott Vacations Worldwide's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 56.23%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on VAC. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide in a report on Monday, January 6th. They set an "underweight" rating and a $87.00 price target on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Marriott Vacations Worldwide from $112.00 to $108.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on Marriott Vacations Worldwide from $78.00 to $48.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Mizuho lifted their target price on Marriott Vacations Worldwide from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price target on Marriott Vacations Worldwide from $116.00 to $97.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $98.13.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Stephanie Sobeck Butera purchased 650 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 6th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $71.66 per share, with a total value of $46,579.00. Following the purchase, the insider now owns 8,770 shares in the company, valued at approximately $628,458.20. This trade represents a 8.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

Marriott Vacations Worldwide Profile

Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation, a vacation company, develops, markets, sells, and manages vacation ownership and related businesses, products, and services in the United States and internationally. It operates through two segments, Vacation Ownership and Exchange & Third-Party Management.