Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC Has $6.76 Million Stock Position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 1.1% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 24,231 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 260 shares during the quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $6,759,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MAR. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Marriott International by 3.6% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,621 shares of the company’s stock worth $652,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its position in Marriott International by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 37,809 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,399,000 after buying an additional 1,645 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Marriott International by 13.8% in the third quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 29,857 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,423,000 after acquiring an additional 3,623 shares in the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc raised its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 31,614 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,859,000 after acquiring an additional 930 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bridgewater Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Marriott International by 145.2% during the 3rd quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. now owns 50,472 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,319,000 after purchasing an additional 29,891 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Marriott International Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of MAR opened at $271.10 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $282.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $268.41. Marriott International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $204.55 and a 52-week high of $307.52. The stock has a market cap of $74.74 billion, a PE ratio of 32.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.58.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.45 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.37 by $0.08. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.46% and a negative return on equity of 116.67%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, February 27th will be issued a $0.63 dividend. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.93%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 27th. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on MAR. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Marriott International from $251.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Evercore ISI upgraded Marriott International from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $330.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Marriott International from $246.00 to $293.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Marriott International from $289.00 to $298.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $287.00 to $283.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $286.45.

Insider Transactions at Marriott International

In other news, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 14,282 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,971,395.74. This represents a 50.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider William P. Brown sold 12,642 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.63, for a total transaction of $3,610,934.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 30,919 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,831,393.97. This trade represents a 29.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 31,694 shares of company stock valued at $8,938,132. 12.32% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.