Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Shares Sold by National Pension Service

National Pension Service cut its holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 23.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 547,532 shares of the company’s stock after selling 172,081 shares during the period. National Pension Service owned about 0.20% of Marriott International worth $152,729,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Jensen Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Marriott International in the 3rd quarter worth about $793,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Marriott International by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 566,548 shares of the company’s stock worth $140,844,000 after buying an additional 2,723 shares in the last quarter. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas purchased a new stake in shares of Marriott International in the 3rd quarter worth about $2,721,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new stake in shares of Marriott International in the 4th quarter worth about $2,990,000. Finally, Kinsale Capital Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Marriott International in the 3rd quarter worth about $3,769,000. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective 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. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of Marriott International from $277.00 to $308.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Argus upped their target price on shares of Marriott International from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Marriott International from $287.00 to $283.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Marriott International from $258.00 to $264.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $284.05.

Marriott International Stock Performance

MAR opened at $282.16 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $283.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $266.41. The company has a market cap of $77.79 billion, a PE ratio of 33.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.57. 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 earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.37 by $0.08. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.46% and a negative return on equity of 116.67%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, February 27th will be given a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 27th. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.29%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marriott International news, EVP Rena Hozore Reiss sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $286.65, for a total value of $1,003,275.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 24,733 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,089,714.45. This trade represents a 12.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Susan C. Schwab sold 1,054 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $277.48, for a total transaction of $292,463.92. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 4,551 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,262,811.48. This trade represents a 18.80 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 31,694 shares of company stock valued at $8,938,132. 10.07% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.