Sig Brokerage LP Acquires Shares of 6,327 Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Sig Brokerage LP acquired a new stake in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund acquired 6,327 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,765,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of MAR. FMR LLC grew its position in shares of Marriott International by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,973,897 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,945,299,000 after buying an additional 56,978 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Marriott International by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,026,529 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,398,321,000 after buying an additional 60,458 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors grew its position in shares of Marriott International by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 4,720,306 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,316,682,000 after buying an additional 15,923 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in Marriott International by 50.8% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,661,101 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,300,168,000 after purchasing an additional 1,570,144 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its position in Marriott International by 17.4% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,469,070 shares of the company’s stock worth $967,662,000 after purchasing an additional 512,963 shares during the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $294.00 to $301.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $245.00 price objective (down from $313.00) on shares of Marriott International in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $295.00 to $240.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Evercore ISI upgraded shares of 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. Thirteen 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, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $276.60.

Insider Transactions at Marriott International

In related news, EVP Rena Hozore Reiss sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $286.65, for a total value of $1,003,275.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 24,733 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,089,714.45. This represents a 12.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.21, for a total transaction of $270,210.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 20,724 shares in the company, valued at $5,599,832.04. This represents a 4.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 32,694 shares of company stock valued at $9,208,342. Corporate insiders own 10.68% of the company’s stock.

Marriott International Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of MAR opened at $271.47 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $74.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.63, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a 50-day moving average of $238.62 and a two-hundred day moving average of $266.67. Marriott International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $204.55 and a 12-month high of $307.52.

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

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.67 per share. This is a boost from Marriott International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. Marriott International’s payout ratio is presently 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.