Clarius Group LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Clarius Group LLC reduced its position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 4.7% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,475 shares of the company’s stock after selling 72 shares during the period. Clarius Group LLC’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $411,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MAR. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,024,187 shares of the company’s stock worth $254,613,000 after buying an additional 46,563 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service grew its stake in Marriott International by 11.6% in the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 719,613 shares of the company’s stock valued at $178,896,000 after purchasing an additional 74,832 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its stake in shares of Marriott International by 8.4% during the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 613,052 shares of the company’s stock worth $152,399,000 after purchasing an additional 47,551 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its position in Marriott International by 0.5% during the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 566,548 shares of the company’s stock valued at $140,844,000 after buying an additional 2,723 shares during the period. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in Marriott International by 3.0% during the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 443,103 shares of the company’s stock worth $110,156,000 after buying an additional 12,702 shares during the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Marriott International from $280.00 to $314.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Bank of America boosted their target price on Marriott International from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Marriott International from $251.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $252.00 to $283.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Marriott International from $249.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $272.15.

Marriott International Trading Up 0.4 %

MAR stock opened at $277.18 on Monday. Marriott International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $204.55 and a 1-year high of $295.45. The stock has a market cap of $77.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.48 and a beta of 1.57. The company’s 50 day moving average is $282.53 and its 200 day moving average is $256.02.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 negative return on equity of 177.91% and a net margin of 11.18%. The company had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.27 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.11 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 9.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, November 21st were given a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.91%. Marriott International’s payout ratio is 26.36%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marriott International

In other news, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.49, for a total transaction of $137,245.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 12,286 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,372,384.14. This trade represents a 3.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 2,360 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.41, for a total value of $673,567.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 39,726 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,338,197.66. This trade represents a 5.61 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 13,815 shares of company stock worth $3,919,739 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 10.07% of the company’s stock.

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.