NorthRock Partners LLC Buys 2,056 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

NorthRock Partners LLC raised its stake in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 138.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,541 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,056 shares during the period. NorthRock Partners LLC’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $988,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp increased its stake in Marriott International by 19.8% in the 4th quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp now owns 10,394 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,899,000 after acquiring an additional 1,720 shares during the last quarter. Obsidian Personal Planning Solutions LLC increased its position in Marriott International by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Obsidian Personal Planning Solutions LLC now owns 2,019 shares of the company’s stock worth $587,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Marriott International in the fourth quarter worth $52,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position in Marriott International by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 211,790 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,077,000 after purchasing an additional 3,485 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Moore Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Marriott International in the 4th quarter worth about $2,315,000. 70.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on MAR shares. Melius Research upgraded shares of Marriott International to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on Marriott International from $308.00 to $300.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Susquehanna boosted their target price on Marriott International from $255.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Mizuho cut their target price on Marriott International from $293.00 to $285.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $283.00 to $236.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $276.60.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 1,000 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.21, for a total transaction of $270,210.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 20,724 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,599,832.04. The trade was a 4.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of the business’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 transaction, the chief financial officer now 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 32,694 shares of company stock worth $9,208,342 in the last ninety days. 10.68% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Marriott International Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:MAR opened at $272.59 on Thursday. Marriott International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $204.55 and a 52-week high of $307.52. The business’s 50 day moving average is $238.33 and its 200 day moving average is $266.61. The stock has a market cap of $74.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.39.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.25 by $0.07. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.46% and a negative return on equity of 116.67%. The company had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.13 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a $0.67 dividend. This is a boost from Marriott International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.52%.

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.