Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Boosts Stock Position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 1.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 122,506 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,847 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $34,172,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Marriott International by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,477,619 shares of the company’s stock valued at $412,167,000 after buying an additional 32,288 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in Marriott International by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,024,187 shares of the company’s stock valued at $254,613,000 after buying an additional 46,563 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its holdings in Marriott International by 8.4% in the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 613,052 shares of the company’s stock valued at $152,399,000 after buying an additional 47,551 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the 4th quarter worth about $165,162,000. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 443,103 shares of the company’s stock worth $110,156,000 after purchasing an additional 12,702 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 14,282 shares in the company, valued at $3,971,395.74. This represents a 50.38 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Rena Hozore Reiss sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $286.65, for a total value of $1,003,275.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 24,733 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,089,714.45. The trade was a 12.40 % 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 in the last three months. 12.32% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on MAR shares. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Marriott International from $251.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Mizuho boosted their target price on Marriott International from $246.00 to $293.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Marriott International from $251.00 to $269.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Barclays reduced their price target on Marriott International from $287.00 to $283.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Marriott International from $285.00 to $277.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $286.45.

Marriott International Trading Up 2.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ MAR opened at $243.11 on Friday. Marriott International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $204.55 and a twelve month high of $307.52. The company has a market capitalization of $67.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.58. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $278.37 and a 200-day simple moving average of $269.66.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.37 by $0.08. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 116.67% and a net margin of 9.46%. As a group, equities analysts predict 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 Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 27th will be issued a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.04%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.29%.

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.