Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Purchases New Holdings in Marriott International, Inc. $MAR

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 28,600 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,354,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in shares of Marriott International by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 8,887 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,479,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in Marriott International by 39.1% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 5,805 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,383,000 after purchasing an additional 1,631 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP lifted its position in Marriott International by 39.6% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 19,332 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,605,000 after acquiring an additional 5,480 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 21.8% during the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 6,035 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,438,000 after purchasing an additional 1,079 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. boosted its position in shares of Marriott International by 3.8% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 137,329 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,520,000 after purchasing an additional 5,007 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Shares of MAR opened at $378.91 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $373.76 and a 200-day simple moving average of $342.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $99.91 billion, a PE ratio of 39.76, a PEG ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 1.10. Marriott International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $253.76 and a 1 year high of $410.98.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.72 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.56 by $0.16. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 80.97% and a net margin of 9.72%.The company had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.59 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.32 earnings per share. Marriott International’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. Marriott International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.380-11.630 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.990-3.060 EPS. Analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 11.64 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 22nd. This is a positive change from Marriott International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio is 30.64%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $412.00 price objective on shares of Marriott International in a report on Monday, June 15th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Marriott International to $446.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Marriott International from $350.00 to $353.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. UBS Group increased their price target on Marriott International from $336.00 to $412.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, June 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Marriott International in a report on Monday, May 11th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $384.73.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marriott International news, EVP Peggy Roe sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $361.56, for a total value of $1,084,680.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 19,827 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,168,650.12. The trade was a 13.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 11.43% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Marriott International Profile

Marriott International is a global lodging company that develops, manages and franchises a broad portfolio of hotels and related lodging facilities. Its core activities include hotel and resort management, franchise operations, property development and the provision of centralized services such as reservations, marketing and loyalty program management. The company’s brand architecture spans market segments from luxury and premium to select-service and extended-stay, enabling it to serve a wide range of business and leisure travelers as well as corporate and group customers.

The company traces its roots to the hospitality business founded by J.