Artemis Investment Management LLP Boosts Holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Artemis Investment Management LLP boosted its position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 5.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,633 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 91 shares during the quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $389,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MAR. Straightline Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the fourth quarter valued at $495,000. NewEdge Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 34.4% during the fourth quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 4,345 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,212,000 after purchasing an additional 1,112 shares during the period. Markel Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 30.6% during the fourth quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 47,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,110,000 after purchasing an additional 11,000 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,477,619 shares of the company’s stock valued at $412,167,000 after purchasing an additional 32,288 shares during the period. Finally, JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the fourth quarter valued at $463,000. 70.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MAR. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Marriott International from $295.00 to $240.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Dbs Bank upgraded Marriott International from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $245.00 price objective (down from $313.00) on shares of Marriott International in a report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Marriott International from $275.00 to $267.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Marriott International has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $275.90.

Insider Transactions at Marriott International

In related news, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 12,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.90, for a total value of $3,166,800.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 124,067 shares in the company, valued at $32,741,281.30. This represents a 8.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Rajeev Menon sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.28, for a total value of $670,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 5,706 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,530,805.68. This represents a 30.47% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,107,710. Insiders own 10.68% of the company’s stock.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Shares of Marriott International stock opened at $273.47 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $74.90 billion, a PE ratio of 31.15, a P/E/G ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $257.62 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $263.13. Marriott International, Inc. has a one year low of $204.55 and a one year high of $307.52.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.25 by $0.07. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 100.64% and a net margin of 9.75%. The business had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.13 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.67 per share. This is a positive change from Marriott International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.98%. Marriott International’s payout ratio is presently 30.52%.

Marriott International 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.