Sapient Capital LLC Reduces Holdings in Marriott International, Inc. $MAR

Sapient Capital LLC reduced its stake in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 61,543 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,639 shares during the quarter. Sapient Capital LLC’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $16,399,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Apella Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 62.5% in the third quarter. Apella Capital LLC now owns 2,101 shares of the company’s stock worth $544,000 after buying an additional 808 shares during the last quarter. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Marriott International by 312.5% in the 3rd quarter. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC now owns 165 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the period. Apollon Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Marriott International by 23.6% during the 3rd quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,852 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,306,000 after acquiring an additional 1,688 shares during the period. Carnegie Investment Counsel purchased a new stake in Marriott International during the 3rd quarter valued at about $379,000. Finally, HBK Sorce Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 1.2% in the third quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 3,512 shares of the company’s stock valued at $935,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Marriott International Price Performance

MAR opened at $315.58 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $290.36 and a 200 day moving average price of $275.43. Marriott International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $205.40 and a 1 year high of $316.69. The stock has a market cap of $84.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.32, a P/E/G ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 1.16.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $2.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.38 by $0.09. Marriott International had a net margin of 10.07% and a negative return on equity of 89.29%. The company had revenue of $1.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.46 billion. Marriott International has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 2.540-2.620 EPS and its FY 2025 guidance at 9.980-10.060 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 20th will be given a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 20th. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.30%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Deborah Marriott Harrison sold 70,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $291.63, for a total value of $20,414,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 175,210 shares in the company, valued at $51,096,492.30. The trade was a 28.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Felitia Lee sold 1,617 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.98, for a total value of $494,769.66. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 4,893 shares in the company, valued at $1,497,160.14. This trade represents a 24.84% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 88,289 shares of company stock valued at $25,669,425 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 10.68% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Marriott International in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Marriott International from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $288.00 to $345.00 in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $287.00 to $285.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Marriott International from $278.00 to $283.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Marriott International from $302.00 to $296.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $297.00.

Marriott International Profile

Marriott International is a global lodging company that develops, manages and franchises a broad portfolio of hotels and related lodging facilities. Its core activities include hotel and resort management, franchise operations, property development and the provision of centralized services such as reservations, marketing and loyalty program management. The company’s brand architecture spans market segments from luxury and premium to select-service and extended-stay, enabling it to serve a wide range of business and leisure travelers as well as corporate and group customers.

The company traces its roots to the hospitality business founded by J.