Cigna Investments Inc. New Has $539,000 Position in Marriott International, Inc. $MAR

Cigna Investments Inc. New cut its position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 4.8% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 2,261 shares of the company’s stock after selling 115 shares during the quarter. Cigna Investments Inc. New’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $539,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. CreativeOne Wealth LLC increased its position in Marriott International by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 1,831 shares of the company’s stock worth $436,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC increased its position in Marriott International by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC now owns 12,824 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,055,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. 4J Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Marriott International by 3.6% during the 1st quarter. 4J Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,224 shares of the company’s stock worth $292,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. increased its position in Marriott International by 3.5% during the 1st quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. now owns 1,259 shares of the company’s stock worth $300,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Obsidian Personal Planning Solutions LLC increased its position in Marriott International by 2.2% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marriott International Price Performance

MAR opened at $267.86 on Tuesday. Marriott International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $205.40 and a fifty-two week high of $307.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $72.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.20, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.38. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $270.47 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $258.52.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The company reported $2.65 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.65. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.60% and a negative return on equity of 93.44%. The company had revenue of $6.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.66 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.50 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Marriott International has set its FY 2025 guidance at 9.850-10.080 EPS. Q3 2025 guidance at 2.310-2.390 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International announced that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Thursday, August 7th that permits the company to repurchase 25,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 21st will be paid a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 21st. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.21%.

Insider Activity at Marriott International

In other news, insider Rajeev Menon sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.28, for a total value of $670,700.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 5,706 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,530,805.68. This represents a 30.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 10.68% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on MAR shares. UBS Group lowered 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. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $300.00 to $273.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 30th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $285.00 to $280.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of Marriott International in a report on Monday, June 23rd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $284.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Marriott International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $226.00 to $303.00 in a report on Monday, May 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $281.00.

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.