Banco Santander S.A. Has $408,000 Stock Position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Banco Santander S.A. decreased its holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 25.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,462 shares of the company’s stock after selling 500 shares during the quarter. Banco Santander S.A.’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $408,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MAR. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its position in shares of Marriott International by 494.4% during the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 107 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Marriott International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Marriott International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. ORG Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 158.5% in the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 137 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Marriott International Price Performance

NASDAQ MAR opened at $257.22 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $281.11 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $269.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.91 billion, a PE ratio of 30.92, a P/E/G ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.58. Marriott International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $204.55 and a 1 year high of $307.52.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.37 by $0.08. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 116.67% and a net margin of 9.46%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, February 27th will be paid a $0.63 dividend. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 27th. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.29%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marriott International

In other Marriott International news, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $278.07, for a total transaction of $4,031,458.86. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 14,282 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,971,395.74. The trade was a 50.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider William P. Brown sold 12,642 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.63, for a total value of $3,610,934.46. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 30,919 shares in the company, valued at $8,831,393.97. This trade represents a 29.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 31,694 shares of company stock worth $8,938,132 over the last three months. 12.32% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MAR. Argus upped their price objective on Marriott International from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $287.00 to $283.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $294.00 to $301.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Marriott International from $285.00 to $277.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Marriott International from $251.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marriott International has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $286.45.

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, City Express by Marriott, and St.