Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) EVP Sells $1,058,300.00 in Stock

Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) EVP Benjamin Breland sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $423.32, for a total value of $1,058,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 23,899 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,116,924.68. The trade was a 9.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Marriott International Trading Up 0.2%

Marriott International stock traded up $0.98 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $418.26. The company had a trading volume of 572,538 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,565,651. The company has a market capitalization of $107.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.71, a P/E/G ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 1.15. Marriott International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $280.99 and a 12-month high of $433.30. The company’s fifty day moving average is $365.04 and its 200-day moving average is $357.63.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 2nd. The company reported $3.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.84 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $7 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.93 billion. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.68% and a negative return on equity of 69.94%. The business’s revenue was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.47 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Marriott International, Inc. will post 12.10 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.14%.

Key Stories Impacting Marriott International

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

• Positive Sentiment: Marriott declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.73 per share, payable December 31 to shareholders of record November 19. The annualized dividend is $2.92, a yield of about 0.7%; the payout may support investor interest, though the yield is modest. Marriott International Declares Quarterly Cash Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Recent Zacks articles characterized MAR as a strong momentum and growth stock. This may reinforce favorable investor sentiment, although the headlines provide no new company results or specific rating data. Zacks momentum article Zacks growth article
• Neutral Sentiment: Marriott is expanding its Luxury Collection into Laos with a new property. The debut adds to the company’s international presence, but the report provides no details on expected financial contribution. Marriott debuts in Laos with new Luxury Collection property
• Negative Sentiment: Freedom Broker cut its rating on Marriott from “strong buy” to “hold,” a less favorable analyst view that could temper optimism. Freedom Broker rating

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in Marriott International by 9.4% during the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 240,251 shares of the company’s stock worth $85,475,000 after buying an additional 20,628 shares in the last quarter. Werba Rubin Papier Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of Marriott International by 4.3% in the third quarter. Werba Rubin Papier Wealth Management now owns 679 shares of the company’s stock valued at $242,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Terril Brothers Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Marriott International in the third quarter valued at approximately $317,000. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System boosted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 13.6% in the third quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 13,339 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,744,000 after acquiring an additional 1,592 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 1.1% in the third quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 4,479 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,593,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on MAR shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Marriott International from $426.00 to $463.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Marriott International from $395.00 to $414.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday. Erste Group Bank assumed coverage on Marriott International in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Marriott International in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, China Intl Cap upgraded Marriott International to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $394.48.

Marriott International Company Profile

Marriott International is a global lodging company that manages, franchises, and licenses hotels, resorts, and other accommodations. Its portfolio spans luxury, premium, select-service, and extended-stay brands, including The Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, W Hotels, Marriott, Sheraton, Courtyard, Residence Inn, and Moxy.

The company traces its origins to a root beer stand opened by J. Willard and Alice Marriott in Washington, DC, in 1927. It entered the lodging business in the 1950s and is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland.

Marriott serves travelers in countries and territories around the world and offers the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program.