Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 27.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 19,394 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,207 shares during the period. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $4,374,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Marriott International in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Marriott International in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Marriott International in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Coppell Advisory Solutions Corp. bought a new position in shares of Marriott International in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, ORG Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 72.6% in the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 126 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Satyajit Anand sold 2,749 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.93, for a total value of $692,555.57. Following the sale, the insider now owns 24,478 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,166,742.54. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Marriott International news, Director Eric Hippeau sold 1,400 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.19, for a total transaction of $351,666.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 72 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,085.68. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Satyajit Anand sold 2,749 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $251.93, for a total transaction of $692,555.57. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 24,478 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,166,742.54. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 125,003 shares of company stock valued at $30,435,493 in the last three months. 12.32% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Marriott International Trading Down 0.1 %

MAR opened at $236.00 on Friday. Marriott International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $162.77 and a 12-month high of $260.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $68.20 billion, a PE ratio of 23.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.62. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $248.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $225.41.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $3.57 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.12 by $1.45. The firm had revenue of $6.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.20 billion. Marriott International had a net margin of 13.00% and a negative return on equity of 848.49%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.96 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 9.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 21st. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.41%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on MAR. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Marriott International from $210.00 to $259.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Marriott International from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Marriott International from $234.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, March 18th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on shares of Marriott International from $250.00 to $248.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, Argus raised their price target on shares of Marriott International from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marriott International currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $236.88.

Marriott International Company Profile

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, and City Express by Marriott brand names, as well as operates residences, timeshares, and yachts.