Benjamin Breland Sells 1,650 Shares of Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) Stock

Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) EVP Benjamin Breland sold 1,650 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $286.10, for a total transaction of $472,065.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 18,225 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,214,172.50. This trade represents a 8.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MAR opened at $287.43 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $268.51 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $266.75. Marriott International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $205.40 and a fifty-two week high of $307.52. The company has a market capitalization of $77.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 1.36.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $2.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.38 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $1.73 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.46 billion. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 89.29% and a net margin of 10.07%. Marriott International has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 2.540-2.620 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 9.980-10.060 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, November 20th will be paid a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 20th. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. Marriott International’s payout ratio is presently 28.30%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MAR. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Marriott International during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $613,000. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV boosted its stake in Marriott International by 9.5% during the first quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV now owns 62,995 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,005,000 after buying an additional 5,482 shares during the period. Permanens Capital L.P. raised its stake in shares of Marriott International by 15.6% in the first quarter. Permanens Capital L.P. now owns 15,396 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,667,000 after acquiring an additional 2,076 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 3.8% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 219,939 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,389,000 after acquiring an additional 8,149 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Swedbank AB boosted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 68,429 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,300,000 after purchasing an additional 881 shares during the period. 70.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on MAR. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $287.00 to $285.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $273.00 to $278.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 3rd. Barclays increased their target price on Marriott International from $262.00 to $274.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Marriott International from $302.00 to $296.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Marriott International from $280.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Marriott International has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $286.40.

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.