KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Purchases Shares of 7,000 Marriott Vacations Worldwide Co. (NYSE:VAC)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new position in shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide Co. (NYSE:VAC - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 7,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $633,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Marriott Vacations Worldwide by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,181,961 shares of the company's stock worth $106,140,000 after buying an additional 23,380 shares in the last quarter. New South Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. New South Capital Management Inc. now owns 367,974 shares of the company's stock worth $33,044,000 after acquiring an additional 3,580 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Marriott Vacations Worldwide by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 255,947 shares of the company's stock valued at $22,984,000 after purchasing an additional 6,516 shares during the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. grew its stake in Marriott Vacations Worldwide by 251.3% during the 4th quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 133,372 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,977,000 after purchasing an additional 95,409 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers grew its stake in Marriott Vacations Worldwide by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 95,457 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,572,000 after purchasing an additional 935 shares in the last quarter. 89.52% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on VAC. Barclays reduced their target price 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. Truist Financial cut their target price on shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide from $142.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Marriott Vacations Worldwide from $70.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Marriott Vacations Worldwide from $112.00 to $108.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their target price on Marriott Vacations Worldwide from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $102.75.

Insider Activity at Marriott Vacations Worldwide

In related news, insider Stephanie Sobeck Butera bought 650 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 6th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $71.66 per share, for a total transaction of $46,579.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 8,770 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $628,458.20. This represents a 8.00 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Marriott Vacations Worldwide Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VAC traded down $1.53 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $53.04. The company had a trading volume of 1,026,890 shares, compared to its average volume of 429,086. The stock has a market cap of $1.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.10, a PEG ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 1.66. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $75.49 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $82.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.19, a current ratio of 3.53 and a quick ratio of 2.86. Marriott Vacations Worldwide Co. has a 12 month low of $50.97 and a 12 month high of $104.49.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.35. The company had revenue of $1.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.24 billion. Marriott Vacations Worldwide had a return on equity of 10.89% and a net margin of 4.20%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Marriott Vacations Worldwide Co. will post 6.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Marriott Vacations Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 5th were given a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.96%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 5th. Marriott Vacations Worldwide's dividend payout ratio is currently 56.23%.

About Marriott Vacations Worldwide

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.