Ieq Capital LLC Raises Position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Ieq Capital LLC increased its holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR – Get Rating) by 65.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,237 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,041 shares during the period. Ieq Capital LLC’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $1,435,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its position in shares of Marriott International by 1,066.7% in the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,157,619 shares of the company’s stock worth $379,202,000 after buying an additional 1,972,684 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC raised its position in shares of Marriott International by 38.9% in the second quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 5,148,399 shares of the company’s stock worth $700,234,000 after buying an additional 1,442,537 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its position in Marriott International by 200.6% during the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 1,594,216 shares of the company’s stock valued at $216,829,000 after purchasing an additional 1,063,800 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in Marriott International by 32.1% during the second quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 4,350,364 shares of the company’s stock valued at $591,693,000 after purchasing an additional 1,055,986 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Prudential Financial Inc. raised its position in Marriott International by 248.3% during the second quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 859,470 shares of the company’s stock valued at $116,897,000 after purchasing an additional 612,702 shares in the last quarter. 58.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on MAR shares. Citigroup downgraded Marriott International from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $170.00 to $175.00 in a report on Wednesday, December 14th. Redburn Partners initiated coverage on Marriott International in a research note on Wednesday, November 30th. They issued a “sell” rating on the stock. StockNews.com cut Marriott International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 4th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Marriott International from $190.00 to $193.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 18th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on Marriott International from $170.00 to $173.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $174.79.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Eric Hippeau sold 7,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.24, for a total value of $1,153,728.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 7,261 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,163,502.64. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Marriott International news, Director Eric Hippeau sold 7,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.24, for a total value of $1,153,728.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,261 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,163,502.64. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 625 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.00, for a total transaction of $101,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 7,102 shares in the company, valued at $1,150,524. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 12.21% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Marriott International Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of Marriott International stock opened at $169.63 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $53.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.86, a P/E/G ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 1.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.33, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 0.52. The company has a fifty day moving average of $157.49 and a 200 day moving average of $154.47. Marriott International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $131.01 and a fifty-two week high of $195.90.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR – Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 3rd. The company reported $1.69 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.69. The business had revenue of $5.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.27 billion. Marriott International had a net margin of 11.16% and a return on equity of 132.01%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Marriott International, Inc. will post 6.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 23rd were given a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 22nd. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 24.39%.

Marriott International announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, November 10th that permits the company to repurchase 25,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

About Marriott International

(Get Rating)

Marriott International, Inc operates, franchises, and licenses hotel, residential, and timeshare properties worldwide. The company operates through U.S. and Canada, and International segments. It operates its properties under the JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton, Ritz-Carlton Reserve, W Hotels, The Luxury Collection, St.