AXQ Capital LP Makes New $304,000 Investment in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

AXQ Capital LP bought a new position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 1,089 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $304,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Marriott International by 10.8% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 379 shares of the company’s stock worth $94,000 after buying an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. TFG Advisers LLC boosted its position 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 buying an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management boosted its position 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 in the last quarter. Evermay Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Marriott International by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Evermay Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,415 shares of the company’s stock worth $953,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Essex Financial Services Inc. boosted its position in shares of Marriott International by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 3,004 shares of the company’s stock worth $838,000 after buying an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on MAR shares. Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $246.00 to $293.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Marriott International from $289.00 to $298.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Marriott International from $285.00 to $277.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Marriott International from $252.00 to $283.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Marriott International from $294.00 to $301.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marriott International currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $286.05.

Marriott International Stock Performance

MAR opened at $237.49 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $275.53 and a 200 day moving average price of $270.37. The company has a market cap of $65.47 billion, a PE ratio of 28.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.58. Marriott International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $204.55 and a 1 year high of $307.52.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.37 by $0.08. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.46% and a negative return on equity of 116.67%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 27th will be issued a $0.63 dividend. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.06%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 27th. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.29%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider William P. Brown sold 12,642 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.63, for a total transaction of $3,610,934.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 30,919 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,831,393.97. This represents a 29.02 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Susan C. Schwab sold 1,054 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $277.48, for a total value of $292,463.92. Following the transaction, the director now owns 4,551 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,262,811.48. This trade represents a 18.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 31,694 shares of company stock worth $8,938,132 in the last 90 days. 12.32% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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, City Express by Marriott, and St.