On Monday, Stifel, a financial services company, adjusted its price target for Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR), increasing it to $252.00 from the previous $240.00. Despite the change, Stifel maintained a Hold rating on the stock. The revision follows Marriott International's third-quarter earnings report, which showed an adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $2.26. This figure fell short of the analyst's estimate by $0.07 and was $0.05 below the consensus estimate from Wall Street.
Marriott's adjusted Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization (EBITDA) for the third quarter was reported at $1,229 million. This result was in line with the guidance range provided by the company, which was set between $1,225 million and $1,250 million, but slightly below the Street's expectation of $1,239 million.
The discrepancy between the actual results and Stifel's estimates was attributed to a combination of lower base management fees and an increase in General & Administrative (G&A) expenses. Stifel's commentary provided insight into the factors contributing to the variance in Marriott's financial performance for the quarter.
Marriott International's third-quarter guidance had projected an adjusted EPS range of $2.27 to $2.33, indicating that the actual results were at the lower end of the company's own expectations. The financial performance metrics are crucial for investors tracking the company's profitability and operational efficiency.
In other recent news, Hilton Worldwide revised its room revenue growth forecast for 2024 to 2-2.5% due to a slowdown in consumer spending in China and the U.S., and steady but insufficient travel demand in Europe. Despite this, Hilton reported a solid financial performance for the third quarter, with an adjusted profit per share of $1.92, surpassing the average analysts' estimate. Total revenue reached $2.87 billion, an increase from the previous year but fell short of analysts' projected $2.9 billion.
In related news, Marriott International has seen its stock target increased by Baird, reflecting a positive long-term view on the company's business fundamentals. The firm expects Marriott's growth rates to align more closely with its stabilized growth algorithm in 2025, particularly after accounting for the net addition of rooms from the MGM acquisition.
BofA Securities also reaffirmed its Buy rating on Marriott's stock, highlighting the company's strong management and sustainable demand.
Marriott has agreed to enhance its data security practices following a settlement with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over allegations of multiple data breaches impacting millions of customers worldwide.
Marriott and its subsidiary Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide will establish a comprehensive information security program and offer U.S. customers the option to request the deletion of personal data connected to their email addresses or loyalty rewards account numbers.
Finally, Marriott's CEO, Anthony Capuano, has indicated the company's intent to monitor travel spending trends among lower-income consumers following a slight decrease in second-quarter ancillary spending.
InvestingPro Insights
Marriott International's recent financial performance, as discussed in the article, can be further contextualized with real-time data from InvestingPro. The company's market capitalization stands at $72.06 billion, reflecting its significant presence in the hospitality industry. Marriott's P/E ratio of 25.45 suggests that investors are willing to pay a premium for the company's earnings, which aligns with the stock's strong performance over various timeframes.
InvestingPro Tips highlight Marriott's impressive gross profit margins, which is corroborated by the data showing a gross profit margin of 81.77% for the last twelve months as of Q2 2024. This robust margin indicates Marriott's ability to maintain profitability despite the challenges mentioned in the earnings report. Additionally, the company's strong return over the last three months, with a price total return of 22.3%, suggests that investors have responded positively to Marriott's overall performance, despite the slight earnings miss noted in the article.
It's worth noting that InvestingPro offers 13 additional tips for Marriott International, providing investors with a more comprehensive analysis of the company's financial health and market position. These insights can be particularly valuable for those looking to make informed decisions in light of Stifel's adjusted price target and Hold rating.
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