Maryland State Retirement & Pension System Sells 976 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System lessened its stake in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 7.4% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 12,251 shares of the company’s stock after selling 976 shares during the quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $3,417,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in Marriott International during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc lifted its position in shares of Marriott International by 112.2% during the 4th quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 104 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its stake in Marriott International by 494.4% during the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 107 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Marriott International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marriott International during the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MAR. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $294.00 to $301.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $246.00 to $293.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Evercore ISI raised Marriott International from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $330.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Marriott International from $252.00 to $283.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Marriott International from $285.00 to $277.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $286.45.

Insider Transactions at Marriott International

In related news, Director Susan C. Schwab sold 1,054 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $277.48, for a total transaction of $292,463.92. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 4,551 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,262,811.48. The trade was a 18.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owns 14,282 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,971,395.74. The trade was a 50.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 31,694 shares of company stock worth $8,938,132 over the last 90 days. 12.32% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Marriott International stock opened at $247.62 on Thursday. Marriott International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $204.55 and a 52 week high of $307.52. The firm has a market cap of $68.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.76, a P/E/G ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.58. The business’s fifty day moving average is $276.77 and its two-hundred day moving average is $269.96.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.37 by $0.08. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.46% and a negative return on equity of 116.67%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 27th will be paid a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.02%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.29%.

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.