Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd Acquires New Shares in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new stake in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund bought 4,925 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,374,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in Marriott International by 4.8% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,024,187 shares of the company’s stock valued at $254,613,000 after buying an additional 46,563 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service raised its position in shares of Marriott International by 11.6% in the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 719,613 shares of the company’s stock worth $178,896,000 after acquiring an additional 74,832 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its stake in shares of Marriott International by 8.4% during the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 613,052 shares of the company’s stock worth $152,399,000 after purchasing an additional 47,551 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Marriott International by 0.5% during the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 566,548 shares of the company’s stock worth $140,844,000 after purchasing an additional 2,723 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in Marriott International by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 443,103 shares of the company’s stock valued at $110,156,000 after acquiring an additional 12,702 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on MAR shares. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $262.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Marriott International from $251.00 to $269.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Susquehanna increased their target price on shares of Marriott International from $255.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $285.00 to $277.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $284.05.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Rena Hozore Reiss sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $286.65, for a total value of $1,003,275.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 24,733 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,089,714.45. This trade represents a 12.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $278.07, for a total value of $4,031,458.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 14,282 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,971,395.74. This trade represents a 50.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 30,640 shares of company stock valued at $8,645,668. 10.07% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Marriott International Stock Performance

NASDAQ:MAR opened at $277.46 on Wednesday. Marriott International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $204.55 and a 52 week high of $307.52. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $283.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $266.30. The company has a market capitalization of $76.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.35, a P/E/G ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.57.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.45 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, sell-side analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 27th will be given a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.91%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio is 30.29%.

Marriott International Profile

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.