Navigoe LLC Invests $44,000 in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Navigoe LLC bought a new position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm bought 160 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,000.

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

Insider Transactions at Marriott International

In related news, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $278.07, for a total transaction 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 approximately $3,971,395.74. This represents a 50.38 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible 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 value of $3,610,934.46. Following the completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 31,694 shares of company stock worth $8,938,132. 10.68% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Marriott International Stock Performance

MAR opened at $239.67 on Wednesday. Marriott International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $204.55 and a 1 year high of $307.52. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $242.20 and its 200 day simple moving average is $267.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $66.14 billion, a PE ratio of 28.81, a P/E/G ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.42.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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, sell-side analysts expect that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 27th were issued a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.05%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MAR has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $294.00 to $301.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Susquehanna upped their price objective on Marriott International from $255.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Mizuho lifted their target price on Marriott International from $246.00 to $293.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Marriott International from $275.00 to $267.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Marriott International from $285.00 to $277.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $273.10.

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, City Express by Marriott, and St.