Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Stake Raised by State of Wyoming

State of Wyoming lifted its holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 89.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,459 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 688 shares during the period. State of Wyoming’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $407,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Marriott International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. purchased a new stake in shares of Marriott International in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc boosted its position in shares of Marriott International by 112.2% in the fourth quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 104 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. 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 valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Marriott International in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $278.07, for a total value of $4,031,458.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 14,282 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,971,395.74. The trade was a 50.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.21, for a total transaction of $270,210.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 20,724 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,599,832.04. This represents a 4.60% decrease in their position. 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.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Dbs Bank raised Marriott International from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $283.00 to $236.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $245.00 target price (down previously from $313.00) on shares of Marriott International in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Marriott International from $275.00 to $267.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Thirteen research 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. According to data from MarketBeat, Marriott International presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $276.60.

Marriott International Trading Down 2.1%

NASDAQ MAR opened at $267.34 on Wednesday. Marriott International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $204.55 and a 1-year high of $307.52. The company has a market capitalization of $73.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.13, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.39. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $240.35 and its two-hundred day moving average is $266.89.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.32 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 previous year, the firm earned $2.13 EPS. Marriott International’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.67 per share. This is an increase from Marriott International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.52%.

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.