Ameriprise Financial Inc. Boosts Stock Position in Marriott International, Inc. $MAR

Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its stake in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 3.9% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 239,480 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 8,973 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc.’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $57,044,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Marriott International by 11.9% in the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 13,441 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,202,000 after buying an additional 1,432 shares in the last quarter. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Marriott International in the first quarter worth about $2,244,000. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marriott International in the first quarter worth about $974,000. Vista Investment Partners II LLC increased its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 22.5% in the first quarter. Vista Investment Partners II LLC now owns 7,199 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,715,000 after buying an additional 1,322 shares during the period. Finally, Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 5.0% in the first quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 27,087 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,452,000 after buying an additional 1,301 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Marriott International

In other news, insider Rajeev Menon sold 2,500 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.28, for a total transaction of $670,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 5,706 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,530,805.68. This trade represents a 30.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 12,000 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.90, for a total transaction of $3,166,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 124,067 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $32,741,281.30. The trade was a 8.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 10.68% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on MAR. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on Marriott International from $300.00 to $273.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 30th. UBS Group cut their target price on Marriott International from $302.00 to $299.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Marriott International from $285.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on Marriott International in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $284.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Mizuho cut their target price on Marriott International from $293.00 to $285.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marriott International presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $281.00.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Marriott International stock opened at $269.67 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $269.99 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $259.42. The stock has a market cap of $73.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.40, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.44. Marriott International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $205.40 and a fifty-two week high of $307.52.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The company reported $2.65 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.65. The business had revenue of $6.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.66 billion. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 93.44% and a net margin of 9.60%.The business’s revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.50 EPS. Marriott International has set its FY 2025 guidance at 9.850-10.080 EPS. Q3 2025 guidance at 2.310-2.390 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Marriott International declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Thursday, August 7th that allows the company to buyback 25,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 21st. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.21%.

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.