Marriot stock tends to underperform in May
The shares of Marriot International Inc (NASDAQ:MAR) are getting a small boost on a well-received first-quarter earnings and revenue beat. The stock was last seen up 1.2% at $175.21, and boasts a year-to-date lead of 6%. Investors might want to look before they leap however, as May tends to be a bearish month for the hotel concern.
In fact, MAR just showed up on Schaeffer's Senior Quantitative Analyst Rocky White's list of the worst performing S&P 500 stocks in May, going back 10 years. According to this data, Marriot stock has only managed two positive monthly returns during this time span, and averaged a 2.5% drop. A similar move would put MAR back toward the $170 level, which is where the equity landed during yesterday's pre-earnings pullback.
Short-term options traders have been much more bullish than usual, and an unwinding of sentiment could put additional pressure on MAR. The security's Schaeffer's put/call volume ratio of 0.52 sits higher than just 6% of readings from the past year. In other words, there's been an incredible call-bias among these players.
Analysts have been silent on Marriot stock, but most members of the brokerage bunch were already bullish, and a lack of post-earnings bull notes is telling. Of the 11 in coverage, eight say "hold," compared to three "strong buy" ratings. Plus, the 12-month consensus price target of $178.05 is a slim 1.4% premium to current levels.