Vanguard Group Inc. Purchases 230,820 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. $MAR

Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 20,774,015 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 230,820 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 7.65% of Marriott International worth $5,410,384,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in Marriott International by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 8,887 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,479,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of Marriott International by 39.1% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 5,805 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,383,000 after buying an additional 1,631 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP boosted its stake in Marriott International by 39.6% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 19,332 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,605,000 after buying an additional 5,480 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its position in Marriott International by 21.8% in the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 6,035 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,438,000 after acquiring an additional 1,079 shares during the period. Finally, Mutual Advisors LLC raised its stake in Marriott International by 4.5% during the second quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 1,048 shares of the company’s stock worth $292,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Marriott International from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $285.00 to $370.00 in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $329.00 to $369.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Marriott International from $323.00 to $356.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Marriott International from $353.00 to $403.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Marriott International in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marriott International presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $343.27.

Marriott International Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MAR opened at $359.94 on Wednesday. Marriott International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $205.40 and a fifty-two week high of $370.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $95.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.93, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 1.13. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $321.11 and its 200 day simple moving average is $289.82.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $2.58 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.61 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $6.69 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.67 billion. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.93% and a negative return on equity of 84.23%. The business’s revenue was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.45 EPS. Marriott International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.320-11.570 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 2.500-2.550 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 26th will be paid a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 26th. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.24%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Rena Hozore Reiss sold 2,512 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $357.00, for a total value of $896,784.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 33,487 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,954,859. The trade was a 6.98% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Felitia Lee sold 1,617 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 in the company, valued at $1,497,160.14. This trade represents a 24.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 5,002 shares of company stock valued at $1,654,833. 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.