Scientech Research LLC Buys Shares of 4,220 Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Scientech Research LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 4,220 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,177,000.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Marriott International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. purchased a new position in shares of Marriott International in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc increased its stake in shares of Marriott International by 112.2% in the fourth quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 104 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its stake in shares of Marriott International by 494.4% in the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 107 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the period. Finally, Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Marriott International in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MAR has been the topic of several analyst reports. Evercore ISI raised shares of Marriott International from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $330.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $294.00 to $301.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of Marriott International from $293.00 to $285.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Marriott International from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Marriott International from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $276.60.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marriott International

In related news, Director Susan C. Schwab sold 1,054 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 4,551 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,262,811.48. This trade represents a 18.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 1,000 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 20,724 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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 sold a total of 32,694 shares of company stock valued at $9,208,342 in the last three months. 10.68% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Marriott International Trading Up 0.6%

Marriott International stock opened at $273.23 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $239.16 and a 200 day moving average of $266.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $74.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.84, a P/E/G ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.39. Marriott International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $204.55 and a 12-month high of $307.52.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 analyst estimates of $6.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.13 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.67 per share. This is a positive change from Marriott International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.