Mediolanum International Funds Ltd Decreases Stake in Marriott International, Inc. $MAR

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd lessened its position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 53.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,868 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,145 shares during the quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $498,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MAR. Lazari Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Marriott International by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Lazari Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,356 shares of the company’s stock worth $614,000 after buying an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. L2 Asset Management LLC grew its position in Marriott International by 4.0% in the second quarter. L2 Asset Management LLC now owns 996 shares of the company’s stock worth $272,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. increased its stake in Marriott International by 1.6% during the second quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 2,462 shares of the company’s stock worth $673,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,622 shares of the company’s stock valued at $443,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HBK Sorce Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 3,512 shares of the company’s stock worth $935,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MAR opened at $318.42 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $85.45 billion, a PE ratio of 33.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.13. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $311.77 and its 200-day simple moving average is $284.55. Marriott International, Inc. has a one year low of $205.40 and a one year high of $331.09.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $2.47 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.38 by $0.09. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 89.29% and a net margin of 10.07%.The company had revenue of $1.73 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.46 billion. Equities research analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 20th were given a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 20th. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.30%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MAR. Barclays raised their price target on Marriott International from $276.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Marriott International from $320.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $296.00 to $328.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Marriott International in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on Marriott International from $285.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $316.19.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marriott International news, CAO Felitia Lee sold 1,617 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.98, for a total transaction of $494,769.66. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 4,893 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,497,160.14. This trade represents a 24.84% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Rena Hozore Reiss sold 5,483 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $287.11, for a total value of $1,574,224.13. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 39,360 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,300,649.60. The trade was a 12.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 88,289 shares of company stock worth $25,669,425. 10.68% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Marriott International

Marriott International is a global lodging company that develops, manages and franchises a broad portfolio of hotels and related lodging facilities. Its core activities include hotel and resort management, franchise operations, property development and the provision of centralized services such as reservations, marketing and loyalty program management. The company’s brand architecture spans market segments from luxury and premium to select-service and extended-stay, enabling it to serve a wide range of business and leisure travelers as well as corporate and group customers.

The company traces its roots to the hospitality business founded by J.