Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Stock Position Decreased by Snowden Capital Advisors LLC

Snowden Capital Advisors LLC reduced its stake in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 8.2% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 4,025 shares of the company’s stock after selling 360 shares during the quarter. Snowden Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $1,123,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MAR. FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of Marriott International by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,973,897 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,945,299,000 after purchasing an additional 56,978 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Marriott International by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,026,529 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,398,321,000 after acquiring an additional 60,458 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors boosted its position in Marriott International by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 4,720,306 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,316,682,000 after acquiring an additional 15,923 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of Marriott International by 50.8% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,661,101 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,300,168,000 after purchasing an additional 1,570,144 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in Marriott International by 17.4% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,469,070 shares of the company’s stock worth $967,662,000 after purchasing an additional 512,963 shares during the period. 70.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Marriott International Price Performance

Marriott International stock opened at $273.23 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $74.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.39. Marriott International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $204.55 and a fifty-two week high of $307.52. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $239.16 and its 200-day simple moving average is $266.80.

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

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. This is a boost from Marriott International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. Marriott International’s payout ratio is 30.52%.

Insider Transactions at Marriott International

In related news, Director Susan C. Schwab sold 1,054 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $277.48, for a total value of $292,463.92. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 4,551 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,262,811.48. The trade was a 18.80% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 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 transaction, the insider now owns 30,919 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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. Insiders sold 32,694 shares of company stock valued at $9,208,342 over the last three months. 10.68% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on MAR. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Marriott International from $283.00 to $236.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Marriott International from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Susquehanna increased their price target on Marriott International from $255.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Marriott International from $295.00 to $240.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised Marriott International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $226.00 to $303.00 in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $276.60.

Marriott International Company 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.