Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. Increases Holdings in Marriott International, Inc. $MAR

Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. increased its position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 1.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 191,585 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,635 shares during the period. Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. owned 0.07% of Marriott International worth $59,437,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Marriott International during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Rachor Investment Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Marriott International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Marriott International in the second quarter worth approximately $37,000. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in Marriott International in the third quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, IAG Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in Marriott International by 468.8% in the third quarter. IAG Wealth Partners LLC now owns 182 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on MAR. Evercore increased their price objective on Marriott International from $320.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Barclays upped their target price on Marriott International from $372.00 to $376.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Marriott International from $350.00 to $353.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Marriott International in a report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Marriott International from $356.00 to $383.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $376.13.

Marriott International News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Marriott International this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Marriott expanded its Marriott Bonvoy Outdoors offering through a new partnership with Outside Interactive, adding guest experience benefits tied to adventure travel across 350+ properties in the U.S. and Canada, which supports brand engagement and could help drive incremental demand. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Marriott’s CFO is scheduled to speak at the Morgan Stanley Travel & Leisure Conference on June 1, which can keep investor attention on the company and may reinforce management’s outlook. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: A Chicago landmark is reportedly being converted into a Marriott hotel, suggesting continued expansion of the brand and additional long-term pipeline growth. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street coverage highlighted Marriott’s outlook and broker sentiment, but the item is primarily a recap of analyst views rather than a clear new catalyst. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: An EVP sold 3,000 shares in an SEC-disclosed transaction. Insider sales can weigh on sentiment, but the size is modest relative to the executive’s remaining stake and does not by itself change fundamentals. Article Title

Insider Transactions at Marriott International

In related news, insider Rajeev Menon sold 3,492 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $354.00, for a total value of $1,236,168.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 6,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,124,000. The trade was a 36.79% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Peggy Roe sold 3,000 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $361.56, for a total value of $1,084,680.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 19,827 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,168,650.12. The trade was a 13.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 11.43% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Shares of MAR opened at $358.69 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $344.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $324.71. The company has a market capitalization of $94.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.11. Marriott International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $253.55 and a fifty-two week high of $380.00.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.72 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.56 by $0.16. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 80.97% and a net margin of 9.72%.The company had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.59 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.32 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Marriott International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.380-11.630 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.990-3.060 EPS. Analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 11.65 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. This is a boost from Marriott International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Marriott International’s payout ratio is 28.12%.

Marriott International Profile

Marriott International is a global lodging company that develops, manages and franchises a broad portfolio of hotels and related lodging facilities. Its core activities include hotel and resort management, franchise operations, property development and the provision of centralized services such as reservations, marketing and loyalty program management. The company’s brand architecture spans market segments from luxury and premium to select-service and extended-stay, enabling it to serve a wide range of business and leisure travelers as well as corporate and group customers.

The company traces its roots to the hospitality business founded by J.