Eastern Bank Sells 2,876 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. $MAR

Eastern Bank lowered its stake in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 5.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 55,005 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,876 shares during the period. Eastern Bank’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $17,065,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the 2nd quarter valued at $638,968,000. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in Marriott International by 21.7% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,175,377 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,389,635,000 after purchasing an additional 1,637,119 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in Marriott International by 7.2% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,921,767 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,281,825,000 after purchasing an additional 330,952 shares during the last quarter. Amundi boosted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 52.0% during the third quarter. Amundi now owns 741,408 shares of the company’s stock valued at $201,618,000 after purchasing an additional 253,696 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 1.1% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,774,015 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,410,384,000 after purchasing an additional 230,820 shares during the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marriott International Price Performance

Shares of MAR stock opened at $317.54 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $84.14 billion, a PE ratio of 33.46, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 1.09. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $331.21 and its 200 day simple moving average is $302.62. Marriott International, Inc. has a one year low of $205.40 and a one year high of $370.00.

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

Marriott International Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In related news, insider William P. Brown sold 9,456 shares of the firm’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 transaction 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $358.03, for a total value of $716,060.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 26,399 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,451,633.97. This trade represents a 7.04% 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 95,540 shares of company stock worth $34,274,055. 10.68% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Evercore raised their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $320.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Marriott International from $328.00 to $331.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Marriott International from $283.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $323.00 to $356.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Marriott International in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.