Fundsmith Investment Services LTD. Lowers Position in Marriott International, Inc. $MAR

Fundsmith Investment Services LTD. decreased its stake in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 9.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,318,251 shares of the company’s stock after selling 145,310 shares during the period. Marriott International comprises 7.5% of Fundsmith Investment Services LTD.’s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. Fundsmith Investment Services LTD.’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $408,974,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MAR. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in Marriott International by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 8,887 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,479,000 after buying an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in Marriott International by 39.1% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 5,805 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,383,000 after buying an additional 1,631 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP increased its holdings in Marriott International by 39.6% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 19,332 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,605,000 after buying an additional 5,480 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Marriott International by 21.8% during the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 6,035 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,438,000 after buying an additional 1,079 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. increased its holdings in Marriott International by 3.8% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 137,329 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,520,000 after buying an additional 5,007 shares during the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Marriott International to $446.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Marriott International from $343.00 to $384.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Marriott International from $336.00 to $412.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday. Susquehanna upped their target price on shares of Marriott International from $280.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Marriott International in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $384.73.

Marriott International News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Marriott International this week:

• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target on Marriott from $336 to $412, signaling continued confidence in the company’s earnings power even while keeping a neutral rating. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Marriott launched “Ask Bonvoy,” a beta AI-powered hotel search and travel-planning tool, which could improve customer engagement and support more direct bookings. MSN
• Positive Sentiment: Marriott continues to expand its brand footprint, including the opening of Europe’s largest Aloft by Marriott in Manchester and the debut of a first Marriott Bonvoy citizenM property in Washington, D.C., both of which reinforce pipeline growth and brand reach. MSN Hospitality & Catering News
• Neutral Sentiment: Marriott’s travel and marketing coverage around Guyana and luxury-group events is supportive of brand awareness, but these items are unlikely to move the stock on their own. Yahoo Finance Manila Times
• Negative Sentiment: Hotel owners representing nearly 1,000 properties are pushing Marriott to revise Bonvoy program rules, arguing the loyalty program is too costly and unfair to owners; this could pressure Marriott’s franchise relationships and margins if tensions escalate. WSJ

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Peggy Roe sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $361.56, for a total transaction of $1,084,680.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 19,827 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,168,650.12. This trade represents a 13.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 11.43% of the company’s stock.

Marriott International Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MAR opened at $399.10 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $368.37 and a 200-day moving average price of $338.66. The stock has a market cap of $105.24 billion, a PE ratio of 41.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 1.10. Marriott International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $253.76 and a 1 year high of $410.98.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.56 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.59 billion. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.72% and a negative return on equity of 80.97%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.32 earnings per share. Marriott International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.380-11.630 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.990-3.060 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Marriott International, Inc. will post 11.64 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 22nd will be paid a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. This is a boost from Marriott International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 22nd. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.64%.

Marriott International Profile

Marriott International is a global lodging company that develops, manages and franchises a broad portfolio of hotels and related lodging facilities. Its core activities include hotel and resort management, franchise operations, property development and the provision of centralized services such as reservations, marketing and loyalty program management. The company’s brand architecture spans market segments from luxury and premium to select-service and extended-stay, enabling it to serve a wide range of business and leisure travelers as well as corporate and group customers.

The company traces its roots to the hospitality business founded by J.