Graypoint LLC Increases Stock Position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Graypoint LLC boosted its position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 15.0% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 1,964 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the quarter. Graypoint LLC’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $443,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. FMR LLC grew its holdings in Marriott International by 16.1% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 8,634,610 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,697,219,000 after acquiring an additional 1,194,665 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Marriott International by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,969,166 shares of the company’s stock worth $822,982,000 after purchasing an additional 74,821 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley lifted its position in shares of Marriott International by 52.7% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 4,811,245 shares of the company’s stock worth $716,346,000 after purchasing an additional 1,659,637 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Marriott International by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,734,680 shares of the company’s stock worth $537,529,000 after purchasing an additional 48,872 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in Marriott International by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,461,649 shares of the company’s stock valued at $483,862,000 after acquiring an additional 12,901 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Marriott International Stock Performance

NASDAQ MAR opened at $251.06 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $72.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.62. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $248.88 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $224.25. Marriott International, Inc. has a one year low of $161.71 and a one year high of $260.57.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $3.57 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.12 by $1.45. Marriott International had a net margin of 13.00% and a negative return on equity of 848.49%. The business had revenue of $6.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.20 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.96 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Marriott International, Inc. will post 9.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 22nd were paid a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 21st. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.41%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Eric Hippeau sold 1,400 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.19, for a total value of $351,666.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 72 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,085.68. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Marriott International news, Director Eric Hippeau sold 1,400 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.19, for a total transaction of $351,666.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 72 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,085.68. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Satyajit Anand sold 2,749 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.93, for a total transaction of $692,555.57. Following the sale, the insider now owns 24,478 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,166,742.54. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 125,003 shares of company stock worth $30,435,493 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 10.07% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on MAR shares. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Marriott International from $234.00 to $239.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $210.00 to $259.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Mizuho started coverage on shares of Marriott International in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $263.00 price objective for the company. Argus upped their target price on shares of Marriott International from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Marriott International from $234.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, March 18th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Marriott International currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $236.81.

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, and City Express by Marriott brand names, as well as operates residences, timeshares, and yachts.