Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation (NYSE:VAC) Receives $61.13 Average Target Price from Analysts

Shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation (NYSE:VAC) have earned an average recommendation of “Reduce” from the ten ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $61.1250.

VAC has been the topic of a number of research reports. Zacks Research lowered shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide from $87.00 to $64.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $37.00 price objective for the company. Stifel Nicolaus set a $83.00 target price on Marriott Vacations Worldwide in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “underweight” rating and set a $52.00 price target (down from $70.00) on shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide in a research note on Friday, January 16th.

Marriott Vacations Worldwide Stock Performance

VAC opened at $54.90 on Friday. 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 stock’s 50 day moving average price is $57.82 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $64.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.33. Marriott Vacations Worldwide has a 12-month low of $44.58 and a 12-month high of $91.18.

Marriott Vacations Worldwide Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 24th were given a dividend of $0.80 per share. This is a boost from Marriott Vacations Worldwide’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.8%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 24th. Marriott Vacations Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 71.75%.

Insider Transactions at Marriott Vacations Worldwide

In other Marriott Vacations Worldwide news, Director Christian Asmar acquired 84,000 shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 19th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $47.44 per share, with a total value of $3,984,960.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 4,130,340 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $195,943,329.60. The trade was a 2.08% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Dianna Morgan bought 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $51.22 per share, for a total transaction of $25,610.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 23,094 shares in the company, valued at $1,182,874.68. This represents a 2.21% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders purchased 96,209 shares of company stock valued at $4,573,353 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marriott Vacations Worldwide

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. increased its position in Marriott Vacations Worldwide by 34.6% in the 3rd quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 429,639 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,597,000 after acquiring an additional 110,469 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its stake in shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide by 71.6% during the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 635,977 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,987,000 after purchasing an additional 265,278 shares during the last quarter. Range Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,291,000. ProShare Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide in the second quarter valued at approximately $576,000. Finally, Capital Fund Management S.A. bought a new position in Marriott Vacations Worldwide in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,543,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.52% of the company’s stock.

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.