LifeWealth Investments LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Marriott International, Inc. $MAR

LifeWealth Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 11.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,920 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 805 shares during the quarter. LifeWealth Investments LLC’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $2,164,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MAR. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 194.7% in the first quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,709,665 shares of the company’s stock valued at $407,242,000 after purchasing an additional 1,129,555 shares during the period. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marriott International in the second quarter valued at $266,084,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 16.4% in the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,427,410 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,292,809,000 after purchasing an additional 766,309 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marriott International in the first quarter valued at $166,059,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 18.9% in the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,123,836 shares of the company’s stock valued at $982,298,000 after purchasing an additional 654,766 shares during the period. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MAR opened at $272.07 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $73.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.35. Marriott International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $205.40 and a 1-year high of $307.52. The company’s fifty day moving average is $265.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $260.62.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The company reported $2.65 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting 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 business had revenue of $6.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.66 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.50 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Marriott International has set its FY 2025 guidance at 9.850-10.080 EPS. Q3 2025 guidance at 2.310-2.390 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 21st were issued 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 was Thursday, August 21st. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.21%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MAR has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Marriott International from $273.00 to $278.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 3rd. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Marriott International from $276.00 to $262.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 3rd. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on shares of Marriott International from $285.00 to $280.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Marriott International in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Marriott International from $302.00 to $296.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $283.17.

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.