Congress Wealth Management LLC DE Boosts Holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Congress Wealth Management LLC DE grew its stake in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 17.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,652 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 839 shares during the quarter. Congress Wealth Management LLC DE’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $1,577,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. LPL Financial LLC boosted its holdings in Marriott International by 6.3% during the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 176,805 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,318,000 after buying an additional 10,456 shares in the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new position in shares of Marriott International in the fourth quarter worth about $23,281,000. AXQ Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the 4th quarter valued at about $304,000. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in shares of Marriott International by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 26,592 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,418,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mizuho Securities USA LLC boosted its position in Marriott International by 44.3% during the fourth quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 21,861 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,098,000 after purchasing an additional 6,709 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. 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 report on Thursday, January 2nd. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $287.00 to $283.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $294.00 to $301.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Marriott International from $289.00 to $298.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Truist Financial cut their price objective on Marriott International from $308.00 to $300.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marriott International currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $286.05.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Susan C. Schwab sold 1,054 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $277.48, for a total transaction of $292,463.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,551 shares in the company, valued at $1,262,811.48. This trade represents a 18.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $3,971,395.74. The trade was a 50.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 31,694 shares of company stock valued at $8,938,132 over the last 90 days. 12.32% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Marriott International Price Performance

Shares of MAR stock opened at $244.45 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $273.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $270.25. Marriott International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $204.55 and a 12 month high of $307.52. The company has a market capitalization of $67.39 billion, a PE ratio of 29.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.58.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last released 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 negative return on equity of 116.67% and a net margin of 9.46%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.03%. Marriott International’s 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.