Nuveen Asset Management LLC Has $175.99 Million Stake in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Nuveen Asset Management LLC lessened its position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 5.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 630,937 shares of the company’s stock after selling 39,595 shares during the period. Nuveen Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $175,994,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Straightline Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Marriott International in the 4th quarter valued at $495,000. NewEdge Wealth LLC grew its position in Marriott International by 34.4% in the fourth quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 4,345 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,212,000 after acquiring an additional 1,112 shares during the last quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in Marriott International during the fourth quarter worth about $2,990,000. Markel Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 30.6% in the 4th quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 47,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,110,000 after purchasing an additional 11,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,477,619 shares of the company’s stock valued at $412,167,000 after purchasing an additional 32,288 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 1,000 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.21, for a total value of $270,210.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 20,724 shares in the company, valued at $5,599,832.04. This trade represents a 4.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider William P. Brown sold 12,642 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.63, for a total transaction of $3,610,934.46. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 30,919 shares in the company, valued at $8,831,393.97. The trade was a 29.02% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 32,694 shares of company stock valued at $9,208,342 in the last three months. 10.68% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Marriott International stock opened at $271.47 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $74.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.63, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.39. Marriott International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $204.55 and a 52-week high of $307.52. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $238.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $266.67.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.25 by $0.07. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 116.67% and a net margin of 9.46%. The business had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.13 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. This is a positive change from Marriott International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.52%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MAR has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Marriott International from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Marriott International from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. UBS Group upped their target price on Marriott International from $294.00 to $301.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Mizuho cut their price target on Marriott International from $293.00 to $285.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Argus upped their price objective on Marriott International from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $276.60.

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.