Rafferty Asset Management LLC Trims Stock Holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Rafferty Asset Management LLC lowered its position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 1.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 67,803 shares of the company’s stock after selling 654 shares during the quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $18,913,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC lifted its stake 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 buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. TFG Advisers LLC lifted its stake in 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 last quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management increased its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 3,290 shares of the company’s stock valued at $918,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Evermay Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Finally, Essex Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 1.3% in the fourth 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, 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 transaction 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. This represents a 50.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.21, for a total value of $270,210.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 32,694 shares of company stock worth $9,208,342 over the last three months. 10.68% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Susquehanna boosted their target price on Marriott International from $255.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Mizuho dropped their target price on Marriott International from $293.00 to $285.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Marriott International from $295.00 to $240.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Marriott International from $275.00 to $267.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Argus upped their price objective on Marriott International from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $276.60.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Marriott International stock opened at $271.47 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $74.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.39. Marriott International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $204.55 and a fifty-two week high of $307.52. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $238.62 and its two-hundred day moving average is $266.67.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.13 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

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

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.