von Borstel & Associates Inc. Buys Shares of 500 Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

von Borstel & Associates Inc. bought a new stake in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $119,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MAR. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. acquired a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc grew its holdings 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 in the last quarter. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda acquired a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 46.7% during the 1st quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 157 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 12,000 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction on Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.90, for a total transaction of $3,166,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 124,067 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $32,741,281.30. The trade was a 8.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Rajeev Menon sold 2,500 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.28, for a total value of $670,700.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 5,706 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,530,805.68. This trade represents a 30.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,107,710 over the last three months. Company insiders own 10.68% of the company’s stock.

Marriott International Stock Performance

NASDAQ MAR opened at $280.08 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $262.62 and a 200-day moving average of $262.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.45 and a beta of 1.41. Marriott International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $204.55 and a 52 week high of $307.52.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.32 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.25 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $6.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.19 billion. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 100.64% and a net margin of 9.75%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.13 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 23rd. This is a boost from Marriott International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.96%. Marriott International’s payout ratio is 30.52%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Mizuho decreased their price objective on Marriott International from $293.00 to $285.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Marriott International from $275.00 to $267.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. UBS Group cut their target price on Marriott International from $302.00 to $299.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Marriott International in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $284.00 target price for the company. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Marriott International from $295.00 to $240.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $275.90.

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.