Marriott Vacations Worldwide (NYSE:VAC) Sets New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation (NYSE:VAC)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $102.03 and last traded at $100.4650, with a volume of 521 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $101.30.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Marriott Vacations Worldwide from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $52.00 to $105.00 in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Citizens Jmp downgraded Marriott Vacations Worldwide from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Marriott Vacations Worldwide from $58.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Marriott Vacations Worldwide from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, June 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Marriott Vacations Worldwide from $50.00 to $51.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $83.70.

Marriott Vacations Worldwide Stock Performance

The firm has a 50 day moving average of $82.27 and a two-hundred day moving average of $68.93. The stock has a market cap of $3.45 billion, a P/E ratio of -9.95, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.80, a quick ratio of 2.77 and a current ratio of 3.30.

Marriott Vacations Worldwide (NYSE:VAC) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $1.24 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.67 by ($0.43). Marriott Vacations Worldwide had a negative net margin of 6.72% and a positive return on equity of 11.37%. The company had revenue of $1.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.66 earnings per share. Marriott Vacations Worldwide’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Marriott Vacations Worldwide has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.050-7.800 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation will post 7.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott Vacations Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 27th were issued a $0.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 27th. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. Marriott Vacations Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio is presently -31.71%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marriott Vacations Worldwide

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide by 7.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,392,787 shares of the company’s stock worth $195,730,000 after buying an additional 234,105 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in Marriott Vacations Worldwide by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,950,309 shares of the company’s stock valued at $129,820,000 after purchasing an additional 54,285 shares in the last quarter. Ananym Capital Management LP increased its holdings in Marriott Vacations Worldwide by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Ananym Capital Management LP now owns 736,947 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,514,000 after purchasing an additional 3,200 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its position in Marriott Vacations Worldwide by 11.0% in the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 705,629 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,967,000 after purchasing an additional 69,652 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. boosted its stake in Marriott Vacations Worldwide by 5.4% in the first quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 524,247 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,139,000 after purchasing an additional 26,824 shares in the last quarter. 89.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Marriott Vacations Worldwide

Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation, headquartered in Orlando, Florida, specializes in the development, marketing and management of vacation ownership resorts and related products. Originally launched as a division of Marriott International in 1984, the company became a separate publicly traded entity in 2011. Since then, it has expanded its offerings through both organic growth and strategic acquisitions, establishing itself as a leading provider in the global timeshare industry.

The company’s core business activities include selling vacation ownership interests, managing a growing portfolio of branded resorts and operating a loyalty program that allows members to exchange or use points at affiliated properties.