-- CFRA, an independent research provider, has providedwith the following research alert. Analysts at CFRA have summarized their opinion as follows:
Marriott's Q1 results beat expectations with adjusted EPS of $2.72 (+17% Y/Y) vs. the $2.55 consensus, while worldwide RevPAR grew 4.2% Y/Y, exceeding the high end of guidance. Domestic strength across customer segments and chain scales countered investor concerns about softening leisure trends, with U.S. & Canada RevPAR up 4.0% and international RevPAR up 4.6% despite Middle East disruption. The asset-light model demonstrated operating leverage as net fee revenues accelerated to 12% Y/Y growth ($1.40B), owing to franchise fees (+17%) and co-branded credit card fees. Management raised full-year RevPAR guidance to 2.0%-3.0% (from 1.5%-2.5%) and adjusted EBITDA to $5.88B-$5.97B. Development momentum remained strong with a record 618K room pipeline (+5% Y/Y) and 4.5% net rooms growth, supporting the franchise-heavy growth model. However, ongoing U.S. co-branded card renegotiations represent a key swing factor for 2H estimates, given their meaningful contribution from these cards to franchise fee outperformance.