Snowden Capital Advisors LLC Decreases Position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Snowden Capital Advisors LLC lessened its position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 8.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,025 shares of the company’s stock after selling 360 shares during the quarter. Snowden Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $1,123,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Sig Brokerage LP acquired a new position in shares of Marriott International in the fourth quarter worth $1,765,000. Raiffeisen Bank International AG acquired a new position in Marriott International in the 4th quarter valued at about $6,550,000. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Marriott International by 16.9% in the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 349,503 shares of the company’s stock valued at $97,490,000 after purchasing an additional 50,486 shares in the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP boosted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 32.5% during the 4th quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 39,076 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,900,000 after purchasing an additional 9,578 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mufg Securities Americas Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Marriott International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $950,000. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marriott International Stock Performance

MAR stock opened at $273.23 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $74.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.39. Marriott International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $204.55 and a 1 year high of $307.52. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $239.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $266.80.

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

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. This is an increase from Marriott International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.98%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.52%.

Insider Transactions at Marriott International

In related news, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $278.07, for a total value of $4,031,458.86. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 14,282 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,971,395.74. This represents a 50.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider William P. Brown sold 12,642 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 30,919 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,831,393.97. This represents a 29.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 32,694 shares of company stock valued at $9,208,342. 10.68% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on MAR shares. Barclays cut their price target on Marriott International from $283.00 to $236.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Marriott International from $295.00 to $240.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Marriott International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $226.00 to $303.00 in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Susquehanna boosted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $255.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Marriott International from $294.00 to $301.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $276.60.

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.