Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) Price Target Raised to $323.00 at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) had its target price boosted by equities research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $294.00 to $323.00 in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price target would indicate a potential upside of 1.87% from the company’s current price.

Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on MAR. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Marriott International from $296.00 to $328.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Marriott International from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $288.00 to $345.00 in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Marriott International in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on shares of Marriott International from $329.00 to $369.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $276.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marriott International presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $316.19.

Marriott International Trading Down 0.7%

MAR stock traded down $2.23 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $317.06. The stock had a trading volume of 546,254 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,440,250. Marriott International has a 1-year low of $205.40 and a 1-year high of $331.09. The company has a market capitalization of $85.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.48, a PEG ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.16. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $311.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $284.23.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $2.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.38 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $1.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.46 billion. Marriott International had a net margin of 10.07% and a negative return on equity of 89.29%. Sell-side analysts predict that Marriott International will post 10.1 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Felitia Lee sold 1,617 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.98, for a total transaction of $494,769.66. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,893 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,497,160.14. This trade represents a 24.84% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Rena Hozore Reiss sold 5,483 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $287.11, for a total value of $1,574,224.13. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 39,360 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,300,649.60. This trade represents a 12.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 88,289 shares of company stock valued at $25,669,425. 10.68% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Marriott International by 46.7% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,803 shares of the company’s stock worth $559,000 after buying an additional 574 shares during the last quarter. FSB Premier Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Marriott International during the fourth quarter worth $230,000. ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. increased its stake in shares of Marriott International by 19.2% during the fourth quarter. ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. now owns 21,413 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,643,000 after purchasing an additional 3,456 shares during the period. MGO One Seven LLC boosted its holdings in Marriott International by 16.2% in the 4th quarter. MGO One Seven LLC now owns 6,062 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,881,000 after purchasing an additional 845 shares during the period. Finally, Crestwood Advisors Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Marriott International in the fourth quarter worth $373,000. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marriott International Company Profile

Marriott International is a global lodging company that develops, manages and franchises a broad portfolio of hotels and related lodging facilities. Its core activities include hotel and resort management, franchise operations, property development and the provision of centralized services such as reservations, marketing and loyalty program management. The company’s brand architecture spans market segments from luxury and premium to select-service and extended-stay, enabling it to serve a wide range of business and leisure travelers as well as corporate and group customers.

The company traces its roots to the hospitality business founded by J.