Marriott International, Inc. $MAR Stake Boosted by First Fiduciary Investment Counsel Inc.

First Fiduciary Investment Counsel Inc. grew its position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 53,725 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,003 shares during the quarter. Marriott International comprises approximately 2.9% of First Fiduciary Investment Counsel Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. First Fiduciary Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $14,678,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MAR. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 0.4% during the second quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 8,649 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,363,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. CreativeOne Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 2.1% during the first quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 1,831 shares of the company’s stock worth $436,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 0.3% during the first quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC now owns 12,824 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,055,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the period. Valmark Advisers Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 1.6% during the second quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 2,462 shares of the company’s stock worth $673,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the period. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 1.7% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,387 shares of the company’s stock worth $569,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. 70.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on MAR. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $273.00 to $278.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 3rd. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $285.00 to $287.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of Marriott International in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $284.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Marriott International in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Marriott International from $276.00 to $262.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $282.63.

Marriott International Stock Performance

MAR opened at $260.20 on Friday. Marriott International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $205.40 and a fifty-two week high of $307.52. The company has a fifty day moving average of $265.21 and a two-hundred day moving average of $259.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.33, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.35.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The company reported $2.65 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.65. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.60% and a negative return on equity of 93.44%. The company had revenue of $6.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.66 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.50 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. 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, equities research analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 21st were issued a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 21st. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. Marriott International’s payout ratio is presently 30.21%.

Marriott International announced that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Thursday, August 7th that authorizes the company to buyback 25,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Marriott International Company 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.