National Pension Service Trims Holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

National Pension Service reduced its holdings in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 23.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 547,532 shares of the company’s stock after selling 172,081 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $152,729,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. PointState Capital LP bought a new position in Marriott International during the third quarter worth $98,249,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in Marriott International by 341.6% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 381,226 shares of the company’s stock worth $106,339,000 after purchasing an additional 294,898 shares during the last quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC lifted its stake in Marriott International by 629.7% during the third quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 134,973 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,554,000 after purchasing an additional 116,477 shares during the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI lifted its stake in Marriott International by 78.5% during the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 198,812 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,425,000 after purchasing an additional 87,439 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP bought a new position in Marriott International during the third quarter worth $18,769,000. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marriott International Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of MAR opened at $282.16 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $283.31 and its 200 day moving average price is $266.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $77.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.91, a P/E/G ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.57. Marriott International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $204.55 and a 1-year high of $307.52.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.45 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.37 by $0.08. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 116.67% and a net margin of 9.46%. On average, research analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 27th will be given a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.89%. Marriott International’s payout ratio is presently 30.29%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MAR has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Marriott International from $251.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on Marriott International from $262.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. UBS Group raised their target price on Marriott International from $294.00 to $301.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Marriott International from $252.00 to $283.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Marriott International from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Marriott International presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $284.05.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Rena Hozore Reiss sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 24,733 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,089,714.45. This trade represents a 12.40 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $3,971,395.74. The trade was a 50.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 31,694 shares of company stock worth $8,938,132 in the last three months. 10.07% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.