Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Position Increased by Ethic Inc.

Ethic Inc. raised its position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 15.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 13,704 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,800 shares during the quarter. Ethic Inc.’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $3,823,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MAR. Straightline Group LLC acquired a new position in Marriott International in the fourth quarter worth approximately $495,000. NewEdge Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 34.4% during the 4th quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 4,345 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,212,000 after purchasing an additional 1,112 shares in the last quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new stake in shares of Marriott International in the 4th quarter valued at $2,990,000. Markel Group Inc. increased its position in Marriott International by 30.6% during the fourth quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 47,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,110,000 after buying an additional 11,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Covea Finance raised its holdings in Marriott International by 69.9% during the fourth quarter. Covea Finance now owns 60,540 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,887,000 after buying an additional 24,900 shares in the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Marriott International from $275.00 to $267.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Marriott International from $285.00 to $277.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Truist Financial decreased their target price on Marriott International from $308.00 to $300.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Marriott International from $295.00 to $240.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marriott International currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $272.75.

Marriott International Price Performance

Shares of MAR opened at $257.97 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $70.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.01, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.39. Marriott International, Inc. has a one year low of $204.55 and a one year high of $307.52. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $237.89 and its 200-day simple moving average is $266.40.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.32 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.25 by $0.07. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 116.67% and a net margin of 9.46%. The company had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.13 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 27th were paid a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.98%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.70%.

Insider Activity at Marriott International

In related news, insider William P. Brown sold 12,642 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.63, for a total value of $3,610,934.46. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 30,919 shares in the company, valued at $8,831,393.97. This represents a 29.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $278.07, for a total transaction of $4,031,458.86. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly 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 31,694 shares of company stock valued at $8,938,132 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 10.68% of the company’s stock.

Marriott International 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.