Janus Henderson Group PLC Decreases Stock Position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Janus Henderson Group PLC reduced its holdings in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 23.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 469,239 shares of the company’s stock after selling 143,813 shares during the quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC owned 0.17% of Marriott International worth $130,901,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MAR. Straightline Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $495,000. NewEdge Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Marriott International by 34.4% during the 4th quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 4,345 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,212,000 after acquiring an additional 1,112 shares in the last quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,990,000. Markel Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Marriott International by 30.6% during the 4th quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 47,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,110,000 after acquiring an additional 11,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Covea Finance raised its position in shares of Marriott International by 69.9% during the 4th quarter. Covea Finance now owns 60,540 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,887,000 after acquiring an additional 24,900 shares in the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marriott International Stock Up 5.4%

Shares of MAR stock opened at $271.96 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $237.91 and a 200 day simple moving average of $266.51. Marriott International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $204.55 and a fifty-two week high of $307.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $74.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.69, a P/E/G ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.39.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.25 by $0.07. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 116.67% and a net margin of 9.46%. The business had revenue of $6.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.13 EPS. Marriott International’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a $0.67 dividend. This is a positive change from Marriott International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.99%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on MAR shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $245.00 price target (down from $313.00) on shares of Marriott International in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Melius Research raised Marriott International to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Marriott International from $275.00 to $267.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Marriott International from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Marriott International from $285.00 to $277.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $276.60.

Insider Activity at Marriott International

In other news, Director Susan C. Schwab sold 1,054 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $277.48, for a total value of $292,463.92. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 4,551 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,262,811.48. This represents a 18.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, 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 sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 14,282 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,971,395.74. This trade represents a 50.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 31,694 shares of company stock worth $8,938,132 in the last quarter. 10.68% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.