Benjamin T. Breland Sells 1,000 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Stock

Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.21, for a total transaction of $270,210.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 20,724 shares in the company, valued at $5,599,832.04. This trade represents a 4.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Marriott International Stock Performance

NASDAQ MAR opened at $271.47 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $74.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.63, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.39. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $238.62 and a 200-day simple moving average of $266.67. Marriott International, Inc. has a one year low of $204.55 and a one year high of $307.52.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.32 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.25 by $0.07. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.46% and a negative return on equity of 116.67%. The company had revenue of $6.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.13 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.99%. This is a positive change from Marriott International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.52%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marriott International

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Marriott International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $580,922,000. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in Marriott International by 50.8% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,661,101 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,300,168,000 after buying an additional 1,570,144 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Marriott International by 23,923.3% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 731,989 shares of the company’s stock valued at $174,360,000 after buying an additional 728,942 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in Marriott International during the 1st quarter worth about $166,059,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Marriott International by 18.9% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,123,836 shares of the company’s stock worth $982,298,000 after acquiring an additional 654,766 shares in the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on MAR. Mizuho dropped their price objective on Marriott International from $293.00 to $285.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Marriott International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $226.00 to $303.00 in a report on Monday. Truist Financial lowered their price target on shares of Marriott International from $308.00 to $300.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective 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, Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Marriott International from $295.00 to $240.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $276.60.

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.