23,368 Shares in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Acquired by Raiffeisen Bank International AG

Raiffeisen Bank International AG acquired a new stake in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 23,368 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,550,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 5,554 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,549,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. TFG Advisers LLC increased its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. TFG Advisers LLC now owns 4,426 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,235,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management boosted its position in shares of Marriott International by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 3,290 shares of the company’s stock valued at $918,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Evermay Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Marriott International by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Evermay Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,415 shares of the company’s stock valued at $953,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Essex Financial Services Inc. boosted its position in Marriott International by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 3,004 shares of the company’s stock worth $838,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.21, for a total value of $270,210.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 20,724 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,599,832.04. This represents a 4.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $278.07, for a total transaction of $4,031,458.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 14,282 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,971,395.74. This represents a 50.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 32,694 shares of company stock worth $9,208,342 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 10.68% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on MAR shares. Truist Financial cut their price objective on Marriott International from $308.00 to $300.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Melius Research upgraded Marriott International to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Marriott International from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $245.00 price objective (down from $313.00) on shares of Marriott International in a report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on Marriott International from $295.00 to $240.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marriott International currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $276.60.

Marriott International Price Performance

Shares of Marriott International stock opened at $271.47 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $74.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.63, a P/E/G ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.39. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $238.62 and its 200-day simple moving average is $266.67. Marriott International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $204.55 and a 1-year high of $307.52.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.32 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.25 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.19 billion. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.46% and a negative return on equity of 116.67%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.13 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a $0.67 dividend. This is a positive change from Marriott International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.99%. Marriott International’s payout ratio is presently 30.52%.

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.