Vista Investment Partners LLC Increases Position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Vista Investment Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 1.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,565 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 144 shares during the quarter. Vista Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $2,993,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Straightline Group LLC purchased a new stake in Marriott International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $495,000. NewEdge Wealth LLC increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 1,112 shares in the last quarter. Markel Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 30.6% during the 4th quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 47,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,110,000 after acquiring an additional 11,000 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Marriott International by 2.2% in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Marriott International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $463,000. 70.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marriott International Trading Up 1.1%

Marriott International stock opened at $257.91 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $250.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $264.34. Marriott International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $204.55 and a 12-month high of $307.52. The stock has a market cap of $70.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.00, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.42.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.25 by $0.07. The business 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%. The business’s revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.13 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.04%. This is an increase from Marriott International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.52%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on MAR shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Marriott International from $285.00 to $277.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of Marriott International from $293.00 to $285.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Melius Research upgraded shares of Marriott International to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Barclays lowered their price objective on Marriott International from $283.00 to $236.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Marriott International from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Thirteen research 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 a consensus target price of $275.15.

Insider Activity at Marriott International

In other Marriott International news, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.21, for a total value of $270,210.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 20,724 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,599,832.04. The trade was a 4.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 12,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.90, for a total value of $3,166,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 124,067 shares in the company, valued at $32,741,281.30. This represents a 8.82% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 10.68% of the stock is owned by 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.