First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. Purchases 800 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. lifted its position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 19.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,838 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 800 shares during the period. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P.’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $1,221,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MAR. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Marriott International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $461,525,000. Jennison Associates LLC increased its stake in Marriott International by 34.8% in the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 4,547,098 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,025,416,000 after buying an additional 1,173,028 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors boosted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 42.2% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 3,147,501 shares of the company’s stock worth $709,793,000 after buying an additional 934,304 shares during the last quarter. Global Assets Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of Marriott International in the 1st quarter valued at about $153,697,000. Finally, Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado raised its holdings in Marriott International by 557.2% during the fourth quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado now owns 496,505 shares of the company’s stock worth $111,967,000 after acquiring an additional 420,962 shares in the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MAR shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Marriott International from $250.00 to $248.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. Argus upped their target price on shares of Marriott International from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Marriott International from $235.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. Barclays increased their price target on Marriott International from $239.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 19th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $248.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marriott International presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $242.19.

Marriott International Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:MAR opened at $240.17 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.60 billion, a PE ratio of 24.79, a PEG ratio of 4.52 and a beta of 1.60. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $237.35 and a 200-day moving average of $239.61. Marriott International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $178.24 and a 12 month high of $260.57.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The company reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.17 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $5.98 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.95 billion. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 376.88% and a net margin of 12.00%. The firm’s revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.09 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 9.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 24th were given a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 23rd. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.05%. This is a boost from Marriott International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio is 26.01%.

Marriott International Company 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, and City Express by Marriott brand names, as well as operates residences, timeshares, and yachts.