Abner Herrman & Brock LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Abner Herrman & Brock LLC boosted its position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 0.5% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 73,448 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 350 shares during the period. Marriott International accounts for 2.5% of Abner Herrman & Brock LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Abner Herrman & Brock LLC’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $20,488,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Jensen Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Marriott International in the third quarter worth about $793,000. BayBridge Capital Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Marriott International in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,254,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 2,723 shares in the last quarter. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas purchased a new stake in Marriott International in the third quarter worth $2,721,000. Finally, Kinsale Capital Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Marriott International in the 3rd quarter worth about $3,769,000. 70.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Marriott International Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of MAR stock opened at $290.59 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $80.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.40, a PEG ratio of 4.68 and a beta of 1.57. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $283.06 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $259.02. Marriott International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $204.55 and a 52 week high of $295.45.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.26 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.31 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.27 billion. Marriott International had a net margin of 11.18% and a negative return on equity of 177.91%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.11 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Marriott International, Inc. will post 9.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 21st were given a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.87%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.36%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Felitia Lee sold 916 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $276.48, for a total transaction of $253,255.68. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 5,609 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,550,776.32. This represents a 14.04 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider William P. Brown sold 1,707 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.30, for a total transaction of $485,300.10. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 23,077 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,560,791.10. This represents a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 13,815 shares of company stock valued at $3,919,739 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 10.07% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on MAR shares. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $251.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Marriott International from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Marriott International from $258.00 to $264.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Mizuho lifted their price target on Marriott International from $233.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price 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. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $272.15.

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.