Whipplewood Advisors LLC Makes New Investment in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 271 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $76,000.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. PointState Capital LP bought a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the third quarter worth approximately $98,249,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in Marriott International by 341.6% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 381,226 shares of the company’s stock worth $106,339,000 after purchasing an additional 294,898 shares during the last quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC lifted its holdings in Marriott International by 629.7% during the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 134,973 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,554,000 after purchasing an additional 116,477 shares during the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI lifted its holdings in Marriott International by 78.5% during the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 198,812 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,425,000 after purchasing an additional 87,439 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP acquired a new stake in Marriott International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $18,769,000. Institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on MAR shares. Argus lifted their price target on Marriott International from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Marriott International from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Marriott International from $251.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Marriott International from $251.00 to $269.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Marriott International from $280.00 to $314.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $284.05.

Marriott International Trading Up 1.2 %

MAR stock opened at $280.45 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $77.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.57. Marriott International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $204.55 and a 12 month high of $307.52. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $283.20 and a 200-day moving average price of $266.94.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.45 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.37 by $0.08. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.46% and a negative return on equity of 116.67%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 27th will be paid a $0.63 dividend. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.90%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 27th. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.29%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $278.07, for a total value of $4,031,458.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 14,282 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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 is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider William P. Brown sold 12,642 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.63, for a total transaction of $3,610,934.46. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 30,919 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,831,393.97. This represents a 29.02 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 31,694 shares of company stock valued at $8,938,132 over the last quarter. 10.07% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Marriott International 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.