MAR vs HLT Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
MAR and HLT are both capital-light, fee-based hotel franchisors with similar high-margin business models. MAR has the largest global footprint and brand breadth, while HLT has often delivered faster net unit growth and trades at a premium reflecting that growth profile.
MAR vs HLT is a comparison of the two dominant global hotel franchise companies, both benefiting from asset-light economics but differing in scale, growth rate, and geographic mix.
MAR holds the edge across 4 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. MAR leads on both 1-year return (+54.64%) and forward P/E (30.77x vs 33.21x for HLT), a relatively favorable combination of momentum and valuation. MAR leads on both revenue growth (12.60%) and operating margin (59.01%), suggesting a stronger fundamental setup on both dimensions. Analyst consensus implies meaningfully more upside for HLT (+0.40%) than for MAR (-6.18%).
- →Want exposure to the largest, most globally diversified hotel brand portfolio
- →Value scale advantages in loyalty and distribution
- →Prefer a slightly more reasonably valued hotel franchisor
- →Want exposure to the fastest-growing major hotel franchisor by unit count
- →Are comfortable paying a premium valuation for superior growth
- →Believe Hilton's brand execution will continue outpacing peers
| Metric | MAR | HLT |
|---|---|---|
| AI score | 55.5 | 54.9 |
| AI rank | #253 | #262 |
| Latest close | $396.20 | $348.84 |
| 1M return | +10.46% | +10.61% |
| 6M return | +27.78% | +19.06% |
| 1Y return | +54.64% | +41.25% |
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | MAR | HLT |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $15.38K (+53.8%) started 2025-06-18 | $14.09K (+40.9%) started 2025-06-18 |
| 5Y ago | $29.38K (+193.8%) started 2021-06-21 | $28.12K (+181.2%) started 2021-06-21 |
| 10Y ago | $68.73K (+587.3%) started 2016-06-20 | $79.88K (+698.8%) started 2016-06-20 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | MAR | HLT |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $106.15B | $78.75B |
| Trailing P/E | 42.19 | 52.90 |
| Forward P/E | 30.77 | 33.21 |
| Price/Sales | 10.89 | 12.63 |
| EV/Revenue | 17.14 | 18.00 |
| Analyst target | $377.67 | $347.33 |
| Target upside | -6.18% | +0.40% |
| Metric | MAR | HLT |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth | 12.60% | 11.00% |
| Earnings growth | 1.70% | 35.00% |
| EPS growth | +1.70% | +35.00% |
| FCF margin | +25.01% | +33.22% |
| Operating margin | 59.01% | 57.36% |
| Profit margin | 35.97% | 30.41% |
| ROIC proxy | N/A | N/A |
| Return on equity | N/A | N/A |
| Dividend yield | 0.73% | 0.17% |
| Beta | 1.10 | 1.05 |
| Debt/equity | N/A | N/A |
| Current ratio | 0.46 | 0.61 |
| Quick ratio | 0.42 | 0.49 |
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | MAR | HLT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growth | +53.85% | +40.91% |
| CAGR | +53.94% | +40.98% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 1.62 | 1.42 | |
| Max drawdown | 12.82% | 10.33% | |
| Max daily drop | 3.69% | 3.61% | |
| Max wkly drop | 8.51% | 6.34% | |
| 5Y | Growth | +185.39% | +178.21% |
| CAGR | +23.38% | +22.75% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.72 | 0.73 | |
| Max drawdown | 30.50% | 32.65% | |
| Max daily drop | 7.40% | 7.09% | |
| Max wkly drop | 14.36% | 17.16% | |
| 10Y | Growth | +532.54% | +665.46% |
| CAGR | +20.27% | +22.59% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.59 | 0.70 | |
| Max drawdown | 61.26% | 50.82% | |
| Max daily drop | 15.19% | 12.57% | |
| Max wkly drop | 36.26% | 30.10% |
| Category | MAR | HLT |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Marriott International, Inc. | Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. |
| Sector | Consumer Cyclical | Consumer Cyclical |
| Industry | Lodging | Lodging |
| Core business | Marriott is the world's largest hotel company by room count, operating a capital-light, fee-based franchise and management model across more than 30 brands spanning luxury to budget segments. | Hilton is one of the world's largest hospitality companies, franchising and managing hotels across 20-plus brands, also operating on an asset-light, fee-based model with a strong U.S. concentration. |
| Investor focus | Investors track global RevPAR (revenue per available room) trends, net unit growth in its development pipeline, and Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program engagement. | Investors track Hilton's net unit growth rate, which has often outpaced Marriott's, RevPAR trends, and the strength of its Hilton Honors loyalty program. |
- →Largest global hotel footprint with the broadest brand portfolio
- →Capital-light franchise model generates high-margin, recurring fee income
- →Bonvoy loyalty program drives direct bookings and customer retention
- →Industry-leading net unit growth rate among major hotel franchisors
- →Highly capital-light model with strong free cash flow conversion
- →Strong U.S. market position with growing international development pipeline
- →RevPAR growth sensitive to global travel demand and macroeconomic cycles
- →Highly competitive new-unit development pipeline against Hilton and others
- →Geopolitical and regional disruptions can affect international segments
- →Slightly more U.S.-concentrated than Marriott's more global portfolio
- →Premium valuation reflects high growth expectations
- →Sensitive to the same macro travel demand cycles as all hotel companies
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