Braun Stacey Associates Inc. Boosts Stake in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Braun Stacey Associates Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 7.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 85,890 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 5,745 shares during the period. Braun Stacey Associates Inc.’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $23,958,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in Marriott International by 10.8% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 379 shares of the company’s stock valued at $94,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. TFG Advisers LLC increased its stake in shares of Marriott International by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. TFG Advisers LLC now owns 4,426 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,235,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Marriott International by 0.4% during the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 8,698 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,162,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management grew its holdings in Marriott International by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 3,290 shares of the company’s stock valued at $918,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Finally, Evermay Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Marriott International by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Evermay Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,415 shares of the company’s stock worth $953,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on MAR shares. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Marriott International from $251.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Marriott International from $252.00 to $283.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. BMO Capital Markets lifted 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. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on Marriott International from $262.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Evercore ISI upgraded Marriott International from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $330.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Marriott International has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $284.45.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider William P. Brown sold 1,707 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.30, for a total value of $485,300.10. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 12.32% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Marriott International Trading Down 1.6 %

MAR stock opened at $283.52 on Tuesday. Marriott International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $204.55 and a 12 month high of $307.52. The stock has a market cap of $78.79 billion, a PE ratio of 29.66, a P/E/G ratio of 4.88 and a beta of 1.57. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $284.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $262.98.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.37 by $0.08. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 177.91% and a net margin of 11.18%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 9.26 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors 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 0.89%. Marriott International’s payout ratio is 26.36%.

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.