Blue Chip Partners LLC Sells 433 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Blue Chip Partners LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 24.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,336 shares of the company’s stock after selling 433 shares during the period. Blue Chip Partners LLC’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $373,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MAR. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Marriott International by 10.8% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 379 shares of the company’s stock worth $94,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. TFG Advisers LLC increased its stake in shares of Marriott International by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. TFG Advisers LLC now owns 4,426 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,235,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its position in Marriott International by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 8,698 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,162,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of Marriott International by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 3,290 shares of the company’s stock worth $918,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Finally, Evermay Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Marriott International by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Evermay Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,415 shares of the company’s stock worth $953,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Marriott International Stock Down 1.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ MAR opened at $283.52 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $284.12 and its 200-day moving average price is $262.98. Marriott International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $204.55 and a 52-week high of $307.52. The company has a market cap of $78.79 billion, a PE ratio of 29.66, a PEG ratio of 4.88 and a beta of 1.57.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.37 by $0.08. Marriott International had a net margin of 11.18% and a negative return on equity of 177.91%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Marriott International, Inc. will post 9.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 27th will be given a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 27th. Marriott International’s payout ratio is currently 26.36%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider William P. Brown sold 1,707 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.30, for a total value of $485,300.10. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 23,077 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,560,791.10. This trade represents a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 12.32% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MAR has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Susquehanna upped their target price on Marriott International from $255.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Marriott International from $251.00 to $269.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Marriott International from $252.00 to $283.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Marriott International from $246.00 to $293.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on shares of Marriott International from $262.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $284.45.

About Marriott International

Marriott International, Inc engages in operating, franchising, and licensing hotel, residential, timeshare, and other lodging properties worldwide. It operates its properties under the JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton, The Luxury Collection, W Hotels, St. Regis, EDITION, Bvlgari, Marriott Hotels, Sheraton, Westin, Autograph Collection, Renaissance Hotels, Le Méridien, Delta Hotels by Marriott, Tribute Portfolio, Gaylord Hotels, Design Hotels, Marriott Executive Apartments, Apartments by Marriott Bonvoy, Courtyard by Marriott, Fairfield by Marriott, Residence Inn by Marriott, SpringHill Suites by Marriott, Four Points by Sheraton, TownePlace Suites by Marriott, Aloft Hotels, AC Hotels by Marriott, Moxy Hotels, Element Hotels, Protea Hotels by Marriott, City Express by Marriott, and St.