Hilltop National Bank Acquires 157 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Hilltop National Bank increased its stake in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 2.9% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 5,638 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 157 shares during the quarter. Hilltop National Bank’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $1,573,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MAR. PointState Capital LP bought a new position in shares of Marriott International in the third quarter worth $98,249,000. Canoe Financial LP bought a new position in Marriott International in the 3rd quarter worth about $77,331,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Marriott International by 15,148.3% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 302,527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $75,208,000 after acquiring an additional 300,543 shares during the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund grew its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 36,856.7% during the second quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 241,327 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,346,000 after purchasing an additional 240,674 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AXA S.A. raised its stake in Marriott International by 133.4% in the second quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 221,045 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,442,000 after purchasing an additional 126,323 shares in the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Marriott International from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. TD Cowen lowered their price target on Marriott International from $295.00 to $283.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Macquarie reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $245.00 price objective on shares of Marriott International in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Marriott International from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Marriott International from $280.00 to $314.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $269.65.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.49, for a total transaction of $137,245.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 12,286 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,372,384.14. This trade represents a 3.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider William P. Brown sold 1,707 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.30, for a total transaction of $485,300.10. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 23,077 shares in the company, valued at $6,560,791.10. This represents a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 13,815 shares of company stock valued at $3,919,739. 12.32% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MAR traded down $0.12 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $273.41. 318,371 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,139,037. The company has a market cap of $75.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.60, a PEG ratio of 5.47 and a beta of 1.57. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $281.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $254.57. Marriott International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $204.55 and a 52 week high of $295.45.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.31 by ($0.05). Marriott International had a net margin of 11.18% and a negative return on equity of 177.91%. The business had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.27 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.11 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 9.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 21st were paid a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 21st. Marriott International’s payout ratio is 26.36%.

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.