Ballast Advisors LLC Reduces Holdings in Marriott International, Inc. $MAR

Ballast Advisors LLC lessened its stake in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 7.7% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 2,177 shares of the company’s stock after selling 182 shares during the quarter. Ballast Advisors LLC’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $595,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Morse Asset Management Inc bought a new stake in Marriott International in the 1st quarter worth $30,000. AlphaQuest LLC grew its holdings in Marriott International by 2,750.0% in the 2nd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 114 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA bought a new stake in Marriott International in the 1st quarter worth $52,000. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the 1st quarter valued at about $57,000. Finally, Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 32.9% during the 1st quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 295 shares of the company’s stock valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on shares of Marriott International from $285.00 to $280.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $287.00 to $285.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Marriott International in a research note on Saturday. 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 research note on Wednesday, September 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $302.00 to $296.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Marriott International presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $283.17.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Shares of Marriott International stock opened at $271.32 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $73.65 billion, a PE ratio of 30.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 1.35. Marriott International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $205.40 and a 52-week high of $307.52. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $265.86 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $261.77.

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, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.65. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.60% and a negative return on equity of 93.44%. The firm had revenue of $6.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.66 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.50 earnings per share. The firm’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 forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Thursday, August 7th that allows the company to buyback 25,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 21st were issued a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 21st. Marriott International’s payout ratio is presently 30.21%.

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.