XTX Topco Ltd Makes New $4.17 Million Investment in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

XTX Topco Ltd bought a new position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 17,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,168,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MAR. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 8,887 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,479,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in Marriott International by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 26,592 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,418,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the period. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P acquired a new position in Marriott International during the 4th quarter valued at about $83,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its stake in Marriott International by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 4,763 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,329,000 after buying an additional 307 shares during the period. Finally, Allianz SE acquired a new position in Marriott International during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,043,000. 70.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 12,000 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.90, for a total value of $3,166,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 124,067 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $32,741,281.30. This trade represents a 8.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Rajeev Menon sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.28, for a total transaction of $670,700.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 5,706 shares in the company, valued at $1,530,805.68. This trade represents a 30.47% 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 90 days. 10.68% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on MAR shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $245.00 target price (down previously from $313.00) on shares of Marriott International in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Mizuho reduced their price objective 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of Marriott International in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $284.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Marriott International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $226.00 to $303.00 in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $302.00 to $299.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marriott International presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $276.90.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Shares of MAR opened at $275.79 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $75.54 billion, a PE ratio of 31.41, a PEG ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.41. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $268.72 and its 200 day moving average price is $262.25. Marriott International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $204.55 and a twelve month high of $307.52.

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

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd were given a $0.67 dividend. This is a positive change from Marriott International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.97%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.