Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Shares Acquired by Choate Investment Advisors

Choate Investment Advisors increased its position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 2.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,575 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the period. Choate Investment Advisors’ holdings in Marriott International were worth $997,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Marriott International by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,477,619 shares of the company’s stock valued at $412,167,000 after acquiring an additional 32,288 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in shares of Marriott International by 4.8% during the third 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 acquiring an additional 46,563 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its position in shares of Marriott International by 8.4% during the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 613,052 shares of the company’s stock valued at $152,399,000 after acquiring an additional 47,551 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the fourth quarter valued at about $165,162,000. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Marriott International by 3.0% during the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 443,103 shares of the company’s stock valued at $110,156,000 after acquiring an additional 12,702 shares during the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on MAR shares. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective 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. Argus raised their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Susquehanna raised their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $255.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $280.00 to $314.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Marriott International from $251.00 to $269.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Marriott International currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $286.45.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marriott International

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

Marriott International Price Performance

Shares of Marriott International stock opened at $243.11 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $278.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $269.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $67.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.22, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.58. Marriott International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $204.55 and a 12 month high of $307.52.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.45 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. Analysts anticipate that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 27th will be paid a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.04%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.