AQR Capital Management LLC Buys 227,465 Shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide Co. (NYSE:VAC)

AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Marriott Vacations Worldwide Co. (NYSE:VAC - Free Report) by 178.2% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 355,089 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 227,465 shares during the quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC owned 1.01% of Marriott Vacations Worldwide worth $29,771,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in VAC. Picton Mahoney Asset Management bought a new stake in Marriott Vacations Worldwide during the 1st quarter worth about $4,676,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide by 335.6% during the 2nd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 25,457 shares of the company's stock worth $2,223,000 after acquiring an additional 19,613 shares during the period. Capital World Investors bought a new position in Marriott Vacations Worldwide in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $210,000. Blueshift Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Marriott Vacations Worldwide in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $252,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide by 4.6% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,266,238 shares of the company's stock valued at $351,872,000 after acquiring an additional 143,074 shares during the last quarter. 89.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VAC has been the subject of a number of research reports. StockNews.com cut shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, July 19th. JMP Securities lowered their price objective on Marriott Vacations Worldwide from $115.00 to $90.00 and set a "market outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Marriott Vacations Worldwide in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. They issued a "sell" rating and a $62.00 price objective on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on Marriott Vacations Worldwide from $108.00 to $96.50 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 13th. Finally, Mizuho cut their target price on Marriott Vacations Worldwide from $128.00 to $126.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, June 14th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $96.65.

Marriott Vacations Worldwide Stock Performance

VAC traded down $3.02 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $73.48. 391,278 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 474,672. Marriott Vacations Worldwide Co. has a 1-year low of $67.28 and a 1-year high of $108.57. The company has a current ratio of 3.28, a quick ratio of 2.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 1.81. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $74.57 and its 200 day simple moving average is $87.14.

Marriott Vacations Worldwide (NYSE:VAC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $1.10 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.99 by ($0.89). Marriott Vacations Worldwide had a net margin of 3.41% and a return on equity of 9.89%. The company had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.21 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.19 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Marriott Vacations Worldwide Co. will post 6.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Marriott Vacations Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, September 19th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 19th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.14%. Marriott Vacations Worldwide's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 56.19%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marriott Vacations Worldwide

In related news, insider Jason P. Marino purchased 700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 11th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $69.00 per share, for a total transaction of $48,300.00. Following the acquisition, the insider now directly owns 15,851 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,093,719. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.70% of the company's stock.

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.