Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Makes New $5.16 Million Investment in Marriott International, Inc. $MAR

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 19,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,157,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MAR. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Marriott International by 3.3% during the third quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 1,104 shares of the company’s stock worth $288,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Lazari Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Marriott International by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Lazari Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,356 shares of the company’s stock valued at $614,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. L2 Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 4.0% during the 2nd quarter. L2 Asset Management LLC now owns 996 shares of the company’s stock worth $272,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,622 shares of the company’s stock worth $443,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HBK Sorce Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of Marriott International by 1.2% during the third quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 3,512 shares of the company’s stock worth $935,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. 70.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Marriott International

In other Marriott International news, EVP Drew Pinto sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $359.81, for a total value of $1,439,240.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 8,221 shares in the company, valued at $2,957,998.01. The trade was a 32.73% 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. Also, insider William P. Brown sold 9,456 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $358.25, for a total value of $3,387,612.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 11,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,940,750. The trade was a 46.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 97,157 shares of company stock worth $34,768,825. 10.68% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Barclays lifted their price target on Marriott International from $320.00 to $356.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Marriott International from $353.00 to $403.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $296.00 to $328.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Marriott International in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $285.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Marriott International presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $343.27.

Marriott International Trading Up 1.6%

Shares of NASDAQ MAR opened at $328.86 on Tuesday. Marriott International, Inc. has a one year low of $205.40 and a one year high of $370.00. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $330.23 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $297.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $87.14 billion, a PE ratio of 34.65, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.09.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.61 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $6.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.67 billion. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.93% and a negative return on equity of 84.23%. Marriott International’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.45 EPS. Marriott International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.320-11.570 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 2.500-2.550 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 26th will be given a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 26th. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.24%.

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.