Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) Earns Buy Rating from Analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group

The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) in a research note released on Wednesday, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage issued a buy rating and a $267.00 price target on the stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on MAR. Barclays boosted their price target on Marriott International from $240.00 to $251.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Marriott International from $268.00 to $250.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 6th. Susquehanna initiated coverage on Marriott International in a research report on Friday, June 21st. They set a neutral rating and a $255.00 target price on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Marriott International from a market perform rating to an outperform rating and increased their price target for the stock from $247.00 to $262.00 in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their price target on Marriott International from $252.00 to $245.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marriott International currently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $247.33.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Shares of Marriott International stock opened at $244.39 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $69.80 billion, a PE ratio of 25.22, a P/E/G ratio of 5.34 and a beta of 1.59. Marriott International has a 52-week low of $180.75 and a 52-week high of $260.57. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $229.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $237.88.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $2.50 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.49 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $6.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.47 billion. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 239.60% and a net margin of 12.01%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.26 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Marriott International will post 9.37 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 16th will be given a $0.63 dividend. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 16th. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.01%.

Institutional Trading of Marriott International

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bangor Savings Bank boosted its stake in Marriott International by 131.1% during the second quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 104 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the period. Roble Belko & Company Inc boosted its stake in Marriott International by 845.5% during the first quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 104 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 93 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in Marriott International during the second quarter valued at $26,000. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Marriott International during the second quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. bought a new stake in Marriott International during the first quarter valued at $29,000. 70.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Marriott International

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.