Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Shares Sold by Sumitomo Life Insurance Co.

Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. lessened its position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 2.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,501 shares of the company’s stock after selling 180 shares during the period. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co.’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $1,813,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its position 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 worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Silvant Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Marriott International in the third quarter valued at $31,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marriott International during the third quarter valued at $33,000. ORG Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 158.5% in the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 137 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the period. Finally, Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. bought a new stake in Marriott International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $40,000. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Marriott International from $252.00 to $283.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Marriott International from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on Marriott International from $262.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Macquarie reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $245.00 price objective on shares of Marriott International in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Marriott International from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $272.15.

Marriott International Price Performance

Shares of MAR opened at $289.66 on Thursday. Marriott International, Inc. has a one year low of $204.55 and a one year high of $295.45. The company has a 50-day moving average of $282.56 and a two-hundred day moving average of $258.23. The stock has a market cap of $80.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.30, a PEG ratio of 4.64 and a beta of 1.57.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last announced its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.31 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.27 billion. Marriott International had a net margin of 11.18% and a negative return on equity of 177.91%. Marriott International’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.11 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Marriott International, Inc. will post 9.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 21st were issued a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.87%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio is 26.36%.

Insider Transactions at Marriott International

In other news, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 2,360 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.41, for a total transaction of $673,567.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 39,726 shares in the company, valued at $11,338,197.66. The trade was a 5.61 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider William P. Brown sold 1,707 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.30, for a total transaction of $485,300.10. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 23,077 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,560,791.10. The trade was a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 13,815 shares of company stock valued at $3,919,739 over the last three months. 12.32% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.