Morgan Stanley Boosts Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) Price Target to $298.00

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) had its target price raised by equities researchers at Morgan Stanley from $289.00 to $298.00 in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley’s price objective points to a potential upside of 9.92% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other brokerages also recently commented on MAR. Macquarie reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $245.00 price objective on shares of Marriott International in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Marriott International from $251.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Marriott International from $280.00 to $314.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Evercore ISI raised Marriott International from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $330.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on Marriott International from $294.00 to $301.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Marriott International currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $286.45.

Marriott International Price Performance

NASDAQ MAR opened at $271.10 on Tuesday. Marriott International has a 1-year low of $204.55 and a 1-year high of $307.52. The company has a market capitalization of $74.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.58, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.58. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $282.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $268.41.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.37 by $0.08. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 116.67% and a net margin of 9.46%. On average, research analysts expect that Marriott International will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Marriott International

In other Marriott International news, insider William P. Brown sold 12,642 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.63, for a total transaction of $3,610,934.46. Following the sale, the insider now owns 30,919 shares in the company, valued at $8,831,393.97. This represents a 29.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Rena Hozore Reiss sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $286.65, for a total value of $1,003,275.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 24,733 shares in the company, valued at $7,089,714.45. The trade was a 12.40 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 31,694 shares of company stock valued at $8,938,132. Insiders own 12.32% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Marriott International

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. GHE LLC raised its position in shares of Marriott International by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. GHE LLC now owns 6,913 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,928,000 after purchasing an additional 364 shares during the period. Park Square Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $124,000. Total Wealth Planning & Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Marriott International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $254,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in Marriott International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $88,062,000. Finally, Bernard Wealth Management Corp. acquired a new stake in Marriott International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.