Stifel Nicolaus Increases Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) Price Target to $283.00

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) had its target price raised by Stifel Nicolaus from $252.00 to $283.00 in a research report released on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a hold rating on the stock.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Marriott International from $258.00 to $264.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $268.00 to $250.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 6th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $267.00 to $244.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 13th. BMO Capital Markets raised 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Marriott International from $238.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $260.20.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Shares of MAR traded up $0.18 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $288.18. 1,435,913 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,467,686. The firm has a market cap of $80.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.13, a P/E/G ratio of 5.59 and a beta of 1.58. Marriott International has a 52-week low of $200.94 and a 52-week high of $289.63. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $262.99 and a 200 day simple moving average of $243.80.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 business had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.27 billion. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 177.91% and a net margin of 11.18%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.11 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Marriott International will post 9.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, November 21st will be paid a $0.63 dividend. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 21st. Marriott International's payout ratio is currently 26.36%.

Insider Activity

In other Marriott International news, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.49, for a total transaction of $137,245.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 12,286 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,372,384.14. This represents a 3.91 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 8,332 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.49, for a total value of $2,370,370.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 108,361 shares in the company, valued at $30,827,620.89. This represents a 7.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 13,815 shares of company stock worth $3,919,739 over the last 90 days. 10.07% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Marriott International

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Tidal Investments LLC grew its position in shares of Marriott International by 86.8% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 16,375 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,071,000 after purchasing an additional 7,607 shares during the period. Optimist Retirement Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Marriott International by 7.7% during the 3rd quarter. Optimist Retirement Group LLC now owns 894 shares of the company's stock valued at $222,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of Marriott International in the 3rd quarter worth $1,260,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 36,251 shares of the company's stock worth $9,012,000 after purchasing an additional 1,974 shares during the period. Finally, Diamant Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Marriott International in the third quarter valued at $373,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.70% of the company's stock.

Marriott International Company Profile

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.