Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Trims Stock Position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System trimmed its stake in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 5.8% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 32,700 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,000 shares during the quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $9,121,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in Marriott International by 10.8% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 379 shares of the company’s stock valued at $94,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. TFG Advisers LLC increased its stake in shares of Marriott International by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. TFG Advisers LLC now owns 4,426 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,235,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Marriott International by 0.4% during the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 8,698 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,162,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of Marriott International by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 3,290 shares of the company’s stock worth $918,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Evermay Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Marriott International by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Evermay Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,415 shares of the company’s stock worth $953,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marriott International

In related news, insider William P. Brown sold 1,707 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.30, for a total transaction of $485,300.10. Following the sale, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 12.32% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Marriott International Price Performance

Marriott International stock opened at $288.00 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $284.30 and its 200-day moving average price is $261.51. Marriott International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $204.55 and a 1 year high of $307.52. The stock has a market cap of $80.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.13, a PEG ratio of 4.88 and a beta of 1.57.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.45 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.37 by $0.08. Marriott International had a net margin of 11.18% and a negative return on equity of 177.91%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Marriott International, Inc. will post 9.26 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on MAR. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Marriott International from $249.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Marriott International from $252.00 to $283.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Marriott International from $258.00 to $264.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Mizuho upped their price objective on Marriott International from $233.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Argus boosted their price target on Marriott International from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $276.35.

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.