HF Advisory Group LLC Boosts Holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

HF Advisory Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 8.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,077 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 491 shares during the period. HF Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $1,370,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MAR. Parnassus Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marriott International in the third quarter worth about $481,621,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Marriott International in the fourth quarter worth about $326,980,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 1,066.7% in the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,157,619 shares of the company’s stock worth $379,202,000 after buying an additional 1,972,684 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley lifted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 52.7% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 4,811,245 shares of the company’s stock worth $716,346,000 after buying an additional 1,659,637 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC raised its stake in Marriott International by 16.1% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 8,634,610 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,697,219,000 after purchasing an additional 1,194,665 shares during the period. 70.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Eric Hippeau sold 1,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.19, for a total transaction of $351,666.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 72 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,085.68. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, Director Eric Hippeau sold 1,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.19, for a total transaction of $351,666.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 72 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,085.68. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Rena Hozore Reiss sold 3,563 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.39, for a total transaction of $856,509.57. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 36,778 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,841,063.42. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 125,003 shares of company stock worth $30,435,493 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 12.32% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MAR has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $234.00 to $239.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Argus lifted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 19th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $210.00 to $259.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Marriott International from $233.00 to $263.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $236.81.

Marriott International Price Performance

Shares of MAR stock traded up $0.78 during trading on Thursday, reaching $239.24. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 355,790 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,424,871. Marriott International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $162.77 and a 1-year high of $260.57. The company has a market capitalization of $69.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.62. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $248.80 and its 200 day moving average price is $225.04.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $3.57 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.12 by $1.45. Marriott International had a net margin of 13.00% and a negative return on equity of 848.49%. The company had revenue of $6.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.96 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Marriott International, Inc. will post 9.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 21st. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.41%.

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, and City Express by Marriott brand names, as well as operates residences, timeshares, and yachts.