Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Insider Sells $3,610,934.46 in Stock

Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) insider William P. Brown sold 12,642 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.63, for a total transaction of $3,610,934.46. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 30,919 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,831,393.97. The trade was a 29.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Marriott International Trading Up 0.3 %

MAR traded up $0.70 on Tuesday, hitting $277.46. 1,807,564 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,588,052. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $283.46 and its 200-day simple moving average is $265.88. The firm has a market cap of $76.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.35, a P/E/G ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.57. Marriott International, Inc. has a one year low of $204.55 and a one year high of $307.52.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.37 by $0.08. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 116.67% and a net margin of 9.46%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 27th will be issued a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 27th. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.29%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MAR. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $258.00 to $264.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Marriott International from $285.00 to $277.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Marriott International from $294.00 to $301.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Marriott International from $246.00 to $293.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Argus upped their target price on shares of Marriott International from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $284.05.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marriott International

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC grew its holdings in Marriott International by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 5,554 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,549,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in Marriott International by 10.8% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 379 shares of the company’s stock valued at $94,000 after buying an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. TFG Advisers LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. TFG Advisers LLC now owns 4,426 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,235,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 8,698 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,162,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Finally, Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management boosted its holdings 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

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.