Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Shares Bought by Graham Capital Management L.P.

Graham Capital Management L.P. grew its holdings in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 32.4% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 15,900 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,889 shares during the quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P.’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $4,435,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Straightline Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marriott International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $495,000. NewEdge Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 34.4% during the fourth quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 4,345 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,212,000 after buying an additional 1,112 shares during the period. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in shares of Marriott International in the 4th quarter valued at $2,990,000. Markel Group Inc. raised its stake in Marriott International by 30.6% in the 4th quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 47,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,110,000 after acquiring an additional 11,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Covea Finance grew its stake in Marriott International by 69.9% during the 4th quarter. Covea Finance now owns 60,540 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,887,000 after purchasing an additional 24,900 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $278.07, for a total value of $4,031,458.86. Following the completion of the sale, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Rena Hozore Reiss sold 3,500 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $286.65, for a total transaction of $1,003,275.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 24,733 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,089,714.45. The trade was a 12.40 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 31,694 shares of company stock worth $8,938,132. 10.68% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MAR has been the subject of a number of research reports. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Marriott International from $295.00 to $240.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $283.00 to $236.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. 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 report on Tuesday, February 4th. UBS Group increased their price target on Marriott International from $294.00 to $301.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Melius Research upgraded Marriott International to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $272.75.

Marriott International Price Performance

Shares of Marriott International stock opened at $257.97 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $237.89 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $266.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.01, a PEG 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 announced 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. The company had revenue of $6.26 billion for 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.13 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 27th were issued a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 27th. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.70%.

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.