Alyeska Investment Group L.P. Has $9.88 Million Holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Alyeska Investment Group L.P. decreased its holdings in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 37.9% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 35,429 shares of the company’s stock after selling 21,627 shares during the period. Alyeska Investment Group L.P.’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $9,883,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MAR. Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC increased its holdings in Marriott International by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 5,554 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,549,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. TFG Advisers LLC increased its stake in shares of Marriott International by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. TFG Advisers LLC now owns 4,426 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,235,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management raised its position in shares of Marriott International by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 3,290 shares of the company’s stock worth $918,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Evermay Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Marriott International by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Evermay Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,415 shares of the company’s stock valued at $953,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Essex Financial Services Inc. increased its position in Marriott International by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 3,004 shares of the company’s stock valued at $838,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MAR has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Marriott International from $283.00 to $236.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Evercore ISI raised Marriott International from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $330.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Mizuho boosted their price target on Marriott International from $246.00 to $293.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $295.00 to $226.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Marriott International from $275.00 to $267.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $273.10.

Marriott International Stock Performance

NASDAQ MAR opened at $247.27 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $68.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.72, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.39. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $239.50 and a 200 day moving average of $266.61. Marriott International, Inc. has a one year low of $204.55 and a one year high of $307.52.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last released its quarterly 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 negative return on equity of 116.67% and a net margin of 9.46%. On average, equities analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 27th were issued a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.02%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 27th. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.29%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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. This represents a 50.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider William P. Brown sold 12,642 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.63, for a total value of $3,610,934.46. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 30,919 shares in the company, valued at $8,831,393.97. This trade represents a 29.02 % 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 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 10.68% of the company’s stock.

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.