Aquatic Capital Management LLC Acquires New Position in Marriott International, Inc. $MAR

Aquatic Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 23,872 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,217,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MAR. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Marriott International during the 2nd quarter worth $638,968,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in Marriott International by 21.7% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,175,377 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,389,635,000 after acquiring an additional 1,637,119 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners acquired a new stake in shares of Marriott International in the 2nd quarter valued at $196,579,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in shares of Marriott International by 7.2% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,921,767 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,281,825,000 after purchasing an additional 330,952 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Marriott International by 27,221.0% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 315,558 shares of the company’s stock worth $86,214,000 after purchasing an additional 314,403 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marriott International news, EVP Drew Pinto sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $359.81, for a total transaction of $1,439,240.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 8,221 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,957,998.01. This represents a 32.73% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider William P. Brown sold 9,456 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $358.25, for a total value of $3,387,612.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 11,000 shares in the company, valued at $3,940,750. This trade represents a 46.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 95,540 shares of company stock valued at $34,274,055. 10.68% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Marriott International Stock Up 2.6%

NASDAQ:MAR opened at $321.84 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $85.28 billion, a PE ratio of 33.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.09. Marriott International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $205.40 and a 52-week high of $370.00. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $331.14 and its 200 day moving average price is $299.23.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.61 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $6.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.67 billion. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.93% and a negative return on equity of 84.23%. Marriott International’s quarterly revenue was up 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior 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. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 26th. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Marriott International’s payout ratio is currently 28.24%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MAR has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Marriott International from $355.00 to $398.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Marriott International from $285.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Marriott International from $323.00 to $356.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Truist Financial upped their price target on Marriott International from $283.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Marriott International from $328.00 to $331.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $343.47.

Marriott International Company 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.