Marriott International, Inc. $MAR Shares Acquired by Aptus Capital Advisors LLC

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 22.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 101,094 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 18,739 shares during the quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $26,329,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MAR. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Marriott International by 3.3% during the third quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 1,104 shares of the company’s stock worth $288,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Lazari Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Marriott International by 1.6% in the third quarter. Lazari Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,356 shares of the company’s stock worth $614,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. L2 Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Marriott International by 4.0% in the second quarter. L2 Asset Management LLC now owns 996 shares of the company’s stock valued at $272,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Marriott International by 2.5% during the second quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,622 shares of the company’s stock valued at $443,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HBK Sorce Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in Marriott International by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 3,512 shares of the company’s stock worth $935,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Marriott International

Here are the key news stories impacting Marriott International this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Record expansion in Caribbean & Latin America — Marriott reported a banner 2025 in its CALA region with 94 signed deals and ~10,461 rooms added to the pipeline (growth of ~40% in signed transactions), reinforcing franchising/fee revenue visibility and long‑term asset-light growth. Marriott International Announces Significant Growth and Strategic Expansion in the Caribbean and Latin America in 2025
• Positive Sentiment: Luxury brand expansion — Marriott’s St. Regis is slated to debut in Queenstown in late 2027, supporting higher‑margin, premium branding and international revenue diversification. Marriott International’s St. Regis to debut in Queenstown in late 2027
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains constructive — consensus analyst rating is “Moderate Buy,” which can support share demand absent fresh negative catalysts. Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts
• Neutral Sentiment: CFO transition — longtime CFO Leeny Oberg gave an exit interview reflecting on her tenure as she transitions out; a planned handoff reduces surprise risk but leadership changes can briefly increase investor uncertainty. Exit Interview: Marriott CFO Leeny Oberg reflects on decades-long career
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector flows: activist/asset manager moves — Nokomis initiated a stake in Apple Hospitality REIT (which owns many Marriott-branded assets), highlighting investor interest in hotel owners and continued demand for branded assets; this is indirect but signals sector health. Nokomis Capital Initiates Stake in Apple Hospitality REIT as Marriott and Hilton Hotels Drive Steady Demand
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry bankruptcies — isolated hotel operator Chapter 11 filings (e.g., a Miami Beach property) highlight uneven operator credit, but Marriott’s franchise/management model limits direct balance‑sheet exposure. New Miami Beach hotel files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
• Negative Sentiment: UK competition probe into hotels’ use of the CoStar platform — an investigation into distribution/market practices could affect how hotels access commercial data/booking platforms and raise compliance or pricing risks for chains. UK competition watchdog probes hotels’ use of CoStar platform
• Negative Sentiment: Ongoing privacy litigation and legal positioning — Marriott is seeking to disqualify plaintiffs’ firms in a privacy-related suit, signaling active litigation that could lead to legal costs and headline risk. Marriott Looks to Disqualify Plaintiffs’ Firms in Privacy Fight

Insider Activity

In related news, insider David S. Marriott sold 4,747 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $360.00, for a total transaction of $1,708,920.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 591,669 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $213,000,840. The trade was a 0.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider William P. Brown sold 9,456 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $358.25, for a total value of $3,387,612.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 11,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,940,750. This trade represents a 46.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 97,157 shares of company stock worth $34,768,825 in the last 90 days. 10.68% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Marriott International from $353.00 to $403.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price 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. lifted their price target on shares of Marriott International from $323.00 to $356.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $320.00 to $356.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded Marriott International from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $285.00 to $370.00 in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $343.27.

Marriott International Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of NASDAQ MAR opened at $333.04 on Friday. Marriott International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $205.40 and a 12-month high of $370.00. The company has a market cap of $88.25 billion, a PE ratio of 35.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 1.09. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $329.78 and a 200-day simple moving average of $296.13.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.61 by ($0.03). Marriott International had a net margin of 9.93% and a negative return on equity of 84.23%. The business had revenue of $6.69 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.67 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.45 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. 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 forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, February 26th will be given a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 26th. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.24%.

Marriott International Profile

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.