31,690 Shares in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Acquired by Longbow Finance SA

Longbow Finance SA acquired a new position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm acquired 31,690 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,840,000.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 494.4% during the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 107 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the period. Silvant Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Marriott International during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Marriott International during the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Marriott International during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, ORG Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 158.5% during the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 137 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MAR. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Marriott International from $251.00 to $269.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Macquarie reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $245.00 target price on shares of Marriott International in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $251.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $262.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $280.00 to $314.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $284.05.

Marriott International Price Performance

MAR opened at $276.76 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $76.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.57. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $283.46 and a 200 day simple moving average of $265.88. Marriott International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $204.55 and a fifty-two week high of $307.52.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.45 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.37 by $0.08. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.46% and a negative return on equity of 116.67%. As a group, analysts expect that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 27th will be issued a $0.63 dividend. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 27th. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.29%.

Insider Activity

In other Marriott International news, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $278.07, for a total value of $4,031,458.86. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 14,282 shares in the company, valued at $3,971,395.74. This trade represents a 50.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Rena Hozore Reiss sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $286.65, for a total transaction of $1,003,275.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 24,733 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,089,714.45. This represents a 12.40 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 10.07% of the company’s stock.

About Marriott International

Marriott International, Inc engages in operating, franchising, and licensing hotel, residential, timeshare, and other lodging properties worldwide. It operates its properties under the JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton, The Luxury Collection, W Hotels, St. Regis, EDITION, Bvlgari, Marriott Hotels, Sheraton, Westin, Autograph Collection, Renaissance Hotels, Le Méridien, Delta Hotels by Marriott, Tribute Portfolio, Gaylord Hotels, Design Hotels, Marriott Executive Apartments, Apartments by Marriott Bonvoy, Courtyard by Marriott, Fairfield by Marriott, Residence Inn by Marriott, SpringHill Suites by Marriott, Four Points by Sheraton, TownePlace Suites by Marriott, Aloft Hotels, AC Hotels by Marriott, Moxy Hotels, Element Hotels, Protea Hotels by Marriott, City Express by Marriott, and St.