Traders Purchase High Volume of Call Options on Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR)

Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) saw unusually large options trading activity on Tuesday. Investors acquired 24,751 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 850% compared to the average daily volume of 2,604 call options.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider William P. Brown sold 1,707 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.30, for a total transaction of $485,300.10. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 23,077 shares in the company, valued at $6,560,791.10. The trade was a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 10.07% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Marriott International

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Jensen Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in Marriott International in the third quarter valued at approximately $793,000. BayBridge Capital Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marriott International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,254,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its position in Marriott International by 0.5% during the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 566,548 shares of the company’s stock valued at $140,844,000 after purchasing an additional 2,723 shares during the last quarter. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas purchased a new position in Marriott International in the third quarter worth $2,721,000. Finally, Kinsale Capital Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Marriott International during the 3rd quarter valued at about $3,769,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MAR has been the topic of several recent research reports. TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of Marriott International from $295.00 to $283.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Marriott International from $277.00 to $308.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday. Mizuho upped their target price on Marriott International from $246.00 to $293.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Marriott International from $252.00 to $283.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Argus boosted their price objective on Marriott International from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $284.45.

Marriott International Trading Up 0.9 %

MAR opened at $290.45 on Thursday. Marriott International has a 1-year low of $204.55 and a 1-year high of $307.52. The company has a market cap of $80.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.38, a PEG ratio of 4.88 and a beta of 1.57. The company’s 50 day moving average is $284.37 and its 200-day moving average is $261.87.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.45 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.37 by $0.08. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 177.91% and a net margin of 11.18%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Marriott International will post 9.26 EPS for the current year.

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.