Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Shares Bought by IFP Advisors Inc

IFP Advisors Inc grew its position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 77.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,978 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,738 shares during the quarter. IFP Advisors Inc’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $1,111,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Valmark Advisers Inc. grew its stake in shares of Marriott International by 13.2% in the third quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 2,411 shares of the company’s stock worth $599,000 after acquiring an additional 281 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. grew its stake in Marriott International by 29.8% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 8,040 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,999,000 after purchasing an additional 1,847 shares in the last quarter. Solidarity Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Marriott International during the 3rd quarter worth about $205,000. Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Marriott International by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. now owns 59,117 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,696,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Financial Advocates Investment Management increased its stake in shares of Marriott International by 23.8% during the third quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 2,485 shares of the company’s stock worth $618,000 after buying an additional 478 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MAR has been the subject of several analyst reports. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Marriott International from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $330.00 price target for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $280.00 to $314.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Marriott International from $252.00 to $283.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. UBS Group raised their target price on Marriott International from $294.00 to $301.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on shares of Marriott International from $262.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $284.05.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of Marriott International 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,971,395.74. The trade was a 50.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Rena Hozore Reiss sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 24,733 shares in the company, valued at $7,089,714.45. This trade represents a 12.40 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 31,694 shares of company stock worth $8,938,132. Corporate insiders own 10.07% of the company’s stock.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Shares of Marriott International stock opened at $277.21 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $76.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.32, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.57. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $283.27 and a two-hundred day moving average of $266.49. Marriott International, Inc. has a one year low of $204.55 and a one year high of $307.52.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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%. As a group, equities 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 27th will be given a $0.63 dividend. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 27th. Marriott International’s payout ratio is 30.29%.

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.