Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Shares Purchased by Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd

Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd grew its position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 37.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,190 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,000 shares during the period. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $4,102,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Caprock Group LLC lifted its stake in Marriott International by 255.1% during the fourth quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 11,781 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,657,000 after purchasing an additional 8,463 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in Marriott International by 86.8% during the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 44,957 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,138,000 after purchasing an additional 20,890 shares in the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc lifted its stake in Marriott International by 88.4% during the fourth quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 10,426 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,351,000 after purchasing an additional 4,892 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Marriott International by 1,487.6% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 345,246 shares of the company’s stock worth $77,856,000 after purchasing an additional 323,500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. lifted its stake in Marriott International by 14.7% during the fourth quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 79,403 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,906,000 after purchasing an additional 10,197 shares in the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marriott International Stock Performance

NASDAQ:MAR traded down $0.65 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $234.88. The stock had a trading volume of 117,797 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,412,482. The firm has a market capitalization of $67.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.37, a PEG ratio of 4.50 and a beta of 1.61. Marriott International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $165.13 and a twelve month high of $260.57. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $244.40 and a 200 day simple moving average of $233.02.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.17 by ($0.04). Marriott International had a net margin of 12.00% and a negative return on equity of 376.88%. The company had revenue of $5.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.95 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.09 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Marriott International, Inc. will post 9.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.07%. This is a boost from Marriott International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 23rd. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.47%.

Insider Transactions at Marriott International

In other news, Director Eric Hippeau sold 1,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.19, for a total transaction of $351,666.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 72 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,085.68. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, insider David S. Marriott sold 2,878 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $248.94, for a total transaction of $716,449.32. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 596,042 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $148,378,695.48. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Eric Hippeau sold 1,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $251.19, for a total transaction of $351,666.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 72 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,085.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 7,027 shares of company stock valued at $1,760,671 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 12.32% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on MAR shares. Truist Financial upped their price objective on Marriott International from $233.00 to $263.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Marriott International from $250.00 to $248.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. Barclays upped their price objective on Marriott International from $239.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 19th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Marriott International from $248.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Marriott International from $235.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Marriott International currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $241.33.

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, and City Express by Marriott brand names, as well as operates residences, timeshares, and yachts.