Marriott Vacations Worldwide (NYSE:VAC) Rating Increased to Hold at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide (NYSE:VAC) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Wednesday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and issued a $52.00 price objective (down previously from $70.00) on shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide in a report on Friday, January 16th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 14th. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on Marriott Vacations Worldwide in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $37.00 price target on the stock. Mizuho downgraded Marriott Vacations Worldwide from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $85.00 to $58.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, Citizens Jmp lowered their target price on Marriott Vacations Worldwide from $115.00 to $60.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $61.13.

Marriott Vacations Worldwide Stock Performance

NYSE VAC traded down $0.72 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $57.98. The company had a trading volume of 86,083 shares, compared to its average volume of 549,612. The company has a quick ratio of 3.22, a current ratio of 3.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.29. The firm has a market cap of $2.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.33. Marriott Vacations Worldwide has a fifty-two week low of $44.58 and a fifty-two week high of $88.80. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $58.00 and a 200-day simple moving average of $63.50.

Marriott Vacations Worldwide Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 18th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th will be issued a $0.80 dividend. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 4th. Marriott Vacations Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio is presently 71.75%.

Insider Activity

In other Marriott Vacations Worldwide news, Director Jonice M. Gray bought 1,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $54.47 per share, for a total transaction of $59,917.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 13,205 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $719,276.35. This trade represents a 9.09% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Over the last 90 days, insiders have purchased 1,209 shares of company stock valued at $66,578. Insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new stake in Marriott Vacations Worldwide during the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide by 627.8% in the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 393 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 339 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide by 90.6% in the second quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 427 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc boosted its position in shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide by 1,828.0% in the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 482 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 457 shares during the period. 89.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.