Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Shares Bought by Park Avenue Securities LLC

Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 25.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,522 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 708 shares during the quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $982,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Jensen Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Marriott International during the 3rd quarter valued at $793,000. BayBridge Capital Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marriott International in the third quarter worth $1,254,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Marriott International by 0.5% in the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 566,548 shares of the company’s stock worth $140,844,000 after acquiring an additional 2,723 shares during the last quarter. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas acquired a new position in shares of Marriott International in the third quarter worth $2,721,000. Finally, Kinsale Capital Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Marriott International in the third quarter worth $3,769,000. 70.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Marriott International from $249.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Marriott International from $258.00 to $264.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Marriott International from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. TD Cowen lowered their target price 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Marriott International from $238.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $272.15.

Marriott International Stock Performance

NASDAQ MAR opened at $277.18 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $282.53 and a 200 day simple moving average of $256.13. Marriott International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $204.55 and a twelve month high of $295.45. The stock has a market cap of $77.03 billion, a PE ratio of 28.99, a PEG ratio of 4.48 and a beta of 1.57.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.26 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.31 by ($0.05). Marriott International had a net margin of 11.18% and a negative return on equity of 177.91%. The company had revenue of $6.26 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.27 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.11 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 9.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, November 21st were given a $0.63 dividend. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 21st. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.36%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider William P. Brown sold 1,707 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.30, for a total value of $485,300.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 23,077 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,560,791.10. This represents a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.49, for a total transaction of $137,245.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 12,286 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,372,384.14. The trade was a 3.91 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 13,815 shares of company stock valued at $3,919,739 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 10.07% of the company’s stock.

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.