Artisan Partners Limited Partnership Decreases Stock Holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Artisan Partners Limited Partnership cut its holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 45.2% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 280,304 shares of the company’s stock after selling 230,780 shares during the period. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $78,188,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Marriott International in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc boosted its stake in Marriott International by 112.2% in the fourth quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 104 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 494.4% during the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 107 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Marriott International in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, ORG Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Marriott International by 158.5% in the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 137 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the period. 70.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Rena Hozore Reiss sold 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $286.65, for a total value of $1,003,275.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 24,733 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,089,714.45. The trade was a 12.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $278.07, for a total transaction of $4,031,458.86. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 14,282 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,971,395.74. This trade represents a 50.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 31,694 shares of company stock worth $8,938,132 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 12.32% of the company’s stock.

Marriott International Trading Down 0.9 %

MAR stock opened at $244.45 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $67.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.38, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.58. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $273.13 and a 200-day moving average of $270.25. Marriott International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $204.55 and a 12-month 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 for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.37 by $0.08. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 116.67% and a net margin of 9.46%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 27th will be given a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.03%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.29%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MAR has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barclays reduced their price objective on Marriott International from $287.00 to $283.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Marriott International from $280.00 to $314.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Argus lifted their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Marriott International from $251.00 to $269.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Marriott International from $289.00 to $298.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $286.05.

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.