Kathleen K. Oberg Sells 14,498 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Stock

Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 14,282 shares in the company, valued at $3,971,395.74. The trade was a 50.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Marriott International Stock Up 1.7 %

NASDAQ MAR opened at $282.16 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $283.31 and its 200-day moving average is $266.41. Marriott International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $204.55 and a 12-month high of $307.52. The firm has a market cap of $77.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.57.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.45 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. Equities analysts expect that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, February 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.89%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.29%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marriott International

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MAR. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Marriott International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $580,922,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in Marriott International by 50.8% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,661,101 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,300,168,000 after acquiring an additional 1,570,144 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Marriott International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $165,162,000. Invesco Ltd. grew 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 buying an additional 512,963 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PointState Capital LP purchased a new position in Marriott International in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $98,249,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on MAR. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Marriott International from $258.00 to $264.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on shares of Marriott International from $262.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. TD Cowen dropped their price target on shares of Marriott International from $295.00 to $283.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Mizuho raised their price target 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. Finally, Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Marriott International from $287.00 to $283.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Marriott International presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $284.05.

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.