Barclays Raises Price Target for Marriott Vacations Worldwide

Investment firm Barclays has raised its target price for Marriott Vacations Worldwide (NYSE:VAC) from $74.00 to $97.00, as stated in a research report released to clients and investors on Friday. The firm has assigned an "equal weight" rating to the stock, indicating that they see potential in the company without strong conviction.

The new target price suggests a modest upside of approximately 1.73% compared to the company’s previous closing price.

Other Analyst Opinions

Marriott Vacations Worldwide has been discussed in several other research reports. JMP Securities downgraded their estimate for the company from $115.00 to $90.00, labeling the stock as "market outperform" as of August 2nd. Similarly, Deutsche Bank reduced their price target from $121.00 to $95.00 and maintained a "buy" rating on August 6th.

In a contrasting viewpoint, Goldman Sachs initiated coverage on Marriott Vacations Worldwide on September 18th with a "sell" rating and a price target of just $62.00. StockNews.com also downgraded the shares from a "hold" to a "sell" rating on July 19th. Additionally, on September 13th, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price from $108.00 to $96.50 while giving the stock a "buy" rating.

Currently, three market analysts have rated the stock as a sell, three have a hold rating, and five have designated it as a buy. Based on aggregated data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $98.95.

Marriott Vacations Worldwide Stock Performance

On Friday, shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide traded lower by $0.63 during midday trading, reaching a price of $95.35. A total of 407,398 shares changed hands, compared to the stock's average daily trading volume of 464,035 shares. Over the last year, shares have fluctuated between a low of $67.28 and a high of $108.57. The company currently reports a current ratio of 3.28, a quick ratio of 2.72, and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.21. Its 50-day and 200-day moving averages stand at $75.64 and $82.76 respectively. The company's market capitalization is $3.34 billion, with a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 18.11 and a price/earnings to growth (PEG) ratio of 0.73.

Recent Earnings Report

Marriott Vacations Worldwide recently announced its quarterly earnings on November 6th. The company reported earnings per share (EPS) of $1.80, surpassing analyst predictions of $1.53 by $0.27. Revenue for the quarter totaled $1.31 billion, exceeding forecasts of $1.27 billion. The firm's net margin stands at 3.41%, with a return on equity of 9.89%. Research analysts predict that the company will achieve an EPS of 6.08 for the current year.

Insider Transactions and Holdings

In a related insider transaction, Jason P. Marino acquired 700 shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide on September 11th. He purchased the shares at an average price of $69.00 each, amounting to a total investment of $48,300. Following this purchase, he now holds 15,851 shares valued at approximately $1,093,719. Currently, company insiders own around 1.70% of the stock.

Institutional Investments

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently adjusted their positions in Marriott Vacations Worldwide. Verity Asset Management Inc. increased its stake by 3.1% in the third quarter, owning 4,303 shares valued at $316,000 after buying an additional 131 shares. Other notable changes include Covestor Ltd, which raised its holdings by 10.5%, and Commonwealth Equity Services LLC, which boosted its stake by 5.4% during the second quarter. Institutional investors currently hold approximately 89.52% of the company’s shares.

About Marriott Vacations Worldwide

Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation is a vacation ownership company that develops, markets, sells, and manages vacation ownership interests and ancillary services both in the United States and globally. The company operates primarily through two segments: Vacation Ownership and Exchange & Third-Party Management.

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