Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund Boosts Stake in Marriott International, Inc. $MAR

Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund boosted its stake in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 31.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 25,760 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,168 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $6,709,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Marriott International during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $638,968,000. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marriott International during the 2nd quarter valued at $266,084,000. Boston Partners bought a new position in Marriott International in the 2nd quarter worth $196,579,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Marriott International by 27,221.0% in the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 315,558 shares of the company’s stock worth $86,214,000 after buying an additional 314,403 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Marriott International by 1.5% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,543,195 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,612,606,000 after acquiring an additional 306,717 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Marriott International Stock Up 1.0%

NASDAQ MAR opened at $328.18 on Friday. Marriott International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $205.40 and a 52 week high of $331.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $88.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.65, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a fifty day moving average of $300.42 and a two-hundred day moving average of $279.27.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $2.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.38 by $0.09. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 89.29% and a net margin of 10.07%.The business had revenue of $1.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 research analysts anticipate that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 20th were paid a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date was 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 (DPR) is presently 28.30%.

Marriott International News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Marriott International this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BMO Capital Markets upgraded MAR from “market perform” to “outperform” and raised its price target to $370, signaling stronger analyst conviction and ~12% upside to current levels. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Sanford C. Bernstein raised its price target for Marriott to $369, another bullish analyst revision that supports upward momentum in the stock. American Banking News
• Positive Sentiment: Marriott Bonvoy struck a multi‑year global partnership with the ICC (cricket) to be the official accommodation partner, and will also provide fan access for FIFA World Cup 2026 — agreements that expand brand visibility, group and event travel demand, and loyalty engagement in key international markets. ICC announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Company announced a strategic regional leadership realignment: a unified U.S./Canada/CALA structure under Satya Anand, Neal Jones to lead EMEA, Federico Greppi to head CALA, and other continent leadership changes — a move positioned to streamline regional operations and accelerate execution. PR Newswire
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary highlights Marriott as a momentum and dividend‑backed stock (Zacks, Motley Fool pieces), reinforcing investor interest from both growth and income perspectives. Zacks
• Neutral Sentiment: Smaller development deals (e.g., Lumbini Palace Resort in Nepal) and loyalty UX updates were reported; these support long‑term pipeline and member engagement but are unlikely to move the stock materially on their own. MSN / Lumbini deal

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on MAR shares. Barclays upped their price target on Marriott International from $274.00 to $276.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of Marriott International in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $329.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley reduced 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. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Marriott International in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their target price on Marriott International from $278.00 to $283.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Marriott International currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $306.81.

Insider Activity

In other Marriott International news, CAO Felitia Lee sold 1,617 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 4,893 shares in the company, valued at $1,497,160.14. This represents a 24.84% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Rena Hozore Reiss sold 5,483 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $287.11, for a total transaction of $1,574,224.13. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 39,360 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,300,649.60. This represents a 12.23% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 88,289 shares of company stock valued at $25,669,425. Insiders own 10.68% of the company’s stock.

About Marriott International

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.