Optimist Retirement Group LLC Raises Holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Optimist Retirement Group LLC grew its position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 15.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,038 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 141 shares during the period. Optimist Retirement Group LLC’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $247,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. FMR LLC boosted its holdings 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% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,026,529 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,398,321,000 after buying an additional 60,458 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors increased its position in shares of Marriott International by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 4,720,306 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,316,682,000 after purchasing an additional 15,923 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of Marriott International by 50.8% during 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. increased its position in shares of Marriott International by 17.4% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,469,070 shares of the company’s stock valued at $967,662,000 after acquiring an additional 512,963 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 12,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.90, for a total transaction of $3,166,800.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 124,067 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $32,741,281.30. The trade was a 8.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 1,000 shares of the business’s 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 20,724 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,599,832.04. This represents a 4.60% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,107,710 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 10.68% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MAR shares. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Marriott International from $302.00 to $299.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Melius Research upgraded shares of Marriott International to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Marriott International from $293.00 to $285.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $245.00 price target (down previously from $313.00) on shares of Marriott International in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $283.00 to $236.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $276.90.

Marriott International Trading Up 0.4%

Marriott International stock opened at $272.58 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $74.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $268.54 and a 200-day simple moving average of $262.26. Marriott International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $204.55 and a 12-month high of $307.52.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.32 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.25 by $0.07. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.75% and a negative return on equity of 100.64%. The firm had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.19 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.13 EPS. Marriott International’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd were paid a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 23rd. This is a positive change from Marriott International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.98%. Marriott International’s payout ratio is currently 30.52%.

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.