Davis R M Inc. Invests $232,000 in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Davis R M Inc. purchased a new position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 830 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $232,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marriott International in the 3rd quarter valued at $97,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Marriott International by 37.5% in the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 275 shares of the company’s stock valued at $68,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its stake 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 valued at $140,844,000 after acquiring an additional 2,723 shares in the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its stake in shares of Marriott International by 36.7% in the 3rd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 387 shares of the company’s stock valued at $96,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Savvy Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Marriott International by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. Savvy Advisors Inc. now owns 2,236 shares of the company’s stock valued at $556,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marriott International

In other Marriott International news, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $278.07, for a total transaction of $4,031,458.86. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 14,282 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,971,395.74. This represents a 50.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Susan C. Schwab sold 1,054 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $277.48, for a total transaction of $292,463.92. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 4,551 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,262,811.48. This trade represents a 18.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 31,694 shares of company stock valued at $8,938,132 over the last three months. 12.32% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on MAR shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Marriott International from $285.00 to $277.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Marriott International from $251.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Argus boosted their price target 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. Stifel Nicolaus boosted 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. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target 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. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $286.45.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MAR opened at $243.81 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $279.75 and its 200 day moving average is $269.47. The company has a market capitalization of $67.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.58. Marriott International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $204.55 and a fifty-two week high of $307.52.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.45 earnings per share 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%. As a group, research 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 issued a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 27th. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.