USS Investment Management Ltd Has $231.20 Million Stock Position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

USS Investment Management Ltd decreased its stake in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 10.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 828,610 shares of the company’s stock after selling 100,455 shares during the quarter. Marriott International accounts for about 1.7% of USS Investment Management Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. USS Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $231,195,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. FMR LLC boosted its position in shares of Marriott International by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,973,897 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,945,299,000 after purchasing an additional 56,978 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Marriott International by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,026,529 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,398,321,000 after acquiring an additional 60,458 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors lifted its stake in Marriott International by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 4,720,306 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,316,682,000 after acquiring an additional 15,923 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in Marriott International by 50.8% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,661,101 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,300,168,000 after acquiring an additional 1,570,144 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in Marriott International by 17.4% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,469,070 shares of the company’s stock worth $967,662,000 after acquiring an additional 512,963 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marriott International

In other news, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 1,000 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.21, for a total transaction of $270,210.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 20,724 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,599,832.04. This trade represents a 4.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Susan C. Schwab sold 1,054 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $277.48, for a total value of $292,463.92. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 4,551 shares in the company, valued at $1,262,811.48. The trade was a 18.80% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 32,694 shares of company stock valued at $9,208,342 in the last 90 days. 10.68% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Evercore ISI raised Marriott International from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $330.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays reduced their price objective on Marriott International from $283.00 to $236.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Marriott International from $285.00 to $277.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Marriott International from $275.00 to $267.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Marriott International from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Marriott International currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $276.60.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Shares of MAR stock opened at $273.19 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $239.74 and its 200 day simple moving average is $266.88. Marriott International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $204.55 and a twelve month high of $307.52. The company has a market capitalization of $74.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.84, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.39.

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

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.98%. This is a positive change from Marriott International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.52%.

About Marriott International

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.