Maryland State Retirement & Pension System Purchases 1,592 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. $MAR

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System grew its position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 13.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,339 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,592 shares during the quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $4,744,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Evelyn Partners Investment Management Services Ltd bought a new position in Marriott International during the first quarter worth $25,000. IMG Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in Marriott International by 100.0% during the first quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 82 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC increased its stake in Marriott International by 127.0% during the first quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC now owns 84 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the first quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 57.6% during the first quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 104 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. 70.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on MAR shares. Freedom Broker lowered shares of Marriott International from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 3rd. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $412.00 to $395.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $384.00 to $403.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. CICC Research initiated coverage on shares of Marriott International in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $410.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $445.00 target price on shares of Marriott International in a research note on Wednesday, November 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marriott International presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $399.04.

Marriott International Stock Down 1.1%

MAR stock opened at $424.66 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $109.35 billion, a PE ratio of 42.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 1.15. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $373.06 and its 200 day simple moving average is $360.25. Marriott International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $280.99 and a fifty-two week high of $433.30.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 2nd. The company reported $3.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.18. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.68% and a negative return on equity of 69.94%. The firm had revenue of $7 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.93 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.47 EPS. Marriott International’s revenue was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 12.10 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. Marriott International’s payout ratio is 29.14%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marriott International

In other Marriott International news, EVP Rena Reiss sold 4,969 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $423.32, for a total transaction of $2,103,477.08. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 38,953 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,489,583.96. The trade was a 11.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Deborah Harrison sold 11,985 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $421.35, for a total value of $5,049,879.75. Following the transaction, the insider owned 163,225 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $68,774,853.75. This trade represents a 6.84% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 90,545 shares of company stock valued at $37,606,415. 11.43% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Marriott International Profile

Marriott International is a global lodging company that manages, franchises, and licenses hotels, resorts, and other accommodations. Its portfolio spans luxury, premium, select-service, and extended-stay brands, including The Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, W Hotels, Marriott, Sheraton, Courtyard, Residence Inn, and Moxy. The company traces its origins to a root beer stand opened by J. Willard and Alice Marriott in Washington, D.C., in 1927. It entered the lodging business in the 1950s and is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland.