Bragg Financial Advisors Inc Purchases Shares of 2,010 Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Bragg Financial Advisors Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 2,010 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $561,000.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Marriott International by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 5,554 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,549,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. TFG Advisers LLC raised its stake in Marriott International by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. TFG Advisers LLC now owns 4,426 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,235,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management lifted its holdings in Marriott International by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 3,290 shares of the company’s stock worth $918,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Evermay Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Marriott International by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Evermay Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,415 shares of the company’s stock worth $953,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Finally, Essex Financial Services Inc. raised its position in shares of Marriott International by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 3,004 shares of the company’s stock valued at $838,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marriott International

In related news, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $278.07, for a total value of $4,031,458.86. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 14,282 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,971,395.74. This represents a 50.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider William P. Brown sold 12,642 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.63, for a total transaction of $3,610,934.46. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 30,919 shares in the company, valued at $8,831,393.97. This trade represents a 29.02 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 31,694 shares of company stock valued at $8,938,132 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 12.32% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MAR has been the subject of a number of research reports. Susquehanna upped their target price on shares of Marriott International from $255.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Argus raised their price objective on Marriott International from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Marriott International from $285.00 to $277.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Marriott International from $289.00 to $298.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Mizuho increased their target price on Marriott International from $246.00 to $293.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $279.15.

Marriott International Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of Marriott International stock opened at $223.49 on Tuesday. Marriott International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $204.55 and a 52 week high of $307.52. The company has a market capitalization of $61.67 billion, a PE ratio of 26.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.42. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $256.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $269.28.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.37 by $0.08. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.46% and a negative return on equity of 116.67%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 27th were issued a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.13%. Marriott International’s payout ratio is currently 30.29%.

About Marriott International

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, City Express by Marriott, and St.