United Asset Strategies Inc. Trims Stock Holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

United Asset Strategies Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 1.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,542 shares of the company’s stock after selling 115 shares during the quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc.’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $1,701,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MAR. Grove Bank & Trust lifted its position in shares of Marriott International by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 1,307 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Argus Investors Counsel Inc. lifted its position in shares of Marriott International by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Argus Investors Counsel Inc. now owns 7,731 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,743,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors lifted its position in Marriott International by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors now owns 1,673 shares of the company’s stock worth $377,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. Capital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in Marriott International by 0.9% during the third quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,989 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,177,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the period. Finally, ORG Partners LLC lifted its position in Marriott International by 72.6% during the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 126 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the period. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on MAR. Mizuho began coverage on Marriott International in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $263.00 target price on the stock. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on Marriott International from $250.00 to $248.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. UBS Group increased their target price on Marriott International from $210.00 to $259.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Marriott International from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Marriott International from $234.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 18th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Marriott International has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $236.81.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $248.48, for a total value of $4,969,600.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 93,323 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,188,899.04. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 20,000 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $248.48, for a total transaction of $4,969,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 93,323 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,188,899.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider David S. Marriott sold 2,878 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $248.94, for a total value of $716,449.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 596,042 shares in the company, valued at $148,378,695.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 125,003 shares of company stock valued at $30,435,493. Insiders own 10.07% of the company’s stock.

Marriott International Stock Down 1.1 %

NASDAQ:MAR opened at $245.62 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $248.99 and its two-hundred day moving average is $224.94. Marriott International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $162.77 and a 52 week high of $260.57. The company has a market cap of $70.98 billion, a PE ratio of 24.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.62.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $3.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.12 by $1.45. The business had revenue of $6.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.20 billion. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 848.49% and a net margin of 13.00%. The business’s revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.96 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Marriott International, Inc. will post 9.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 22nd were issued a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 21st. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.41%.

About Marriott International

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, and City Express by Marriott brand names, as well as operates residences, timeshares, and yachts.