GF Fund Management CO. LTD. Buys 1,337 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

GF Fund Management CO. LTD. boosted its holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 2.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 54,004 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,337 shares during the period. GF Fund Management CO. LTD.’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $12,864,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MAR. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Marriott International in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. purchased a new position in Marriott International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc lifted its position in shares of Marriott International by 112.2% in the fourth quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 104 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda purchased a new position in Marriott International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its position in Marriott International by 46.7% in the first quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 157 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Marriott International

In related news, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 12,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.90, for a total transaction of $3,166,800.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 124,067 shares in the company, valued at $32,741,281.30. This represents a 8.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 1,000 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.21, for a total value of $270,210.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,107,710. 10.68% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Marriott International Stock Up 0.9%

MAR stock opened at $280.08 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $261.75 and its 200 day simple moving average is $262.78. The company has a market cap of $76.71 billion, a PE ratio of 31.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.41. Marriott International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $204.55 and a twelve month high of $307.52.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.25 by $0.07. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.75% and a negative return on equity of 100.64%. The firm had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.13 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 23rd. This is a boost from Marriott International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.96%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.52%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on MAR shares. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Marriott International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $226.00 to $303.00 in a report on Monday, May 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $245.00 price target (down previously from $313.00) on shares of Marriott International in a report on Monday, April 14th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Marriott International from $275.00 to $267.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on Marriott International from $283.00 to $236.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marriott International has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $275.90.

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.