Asset Advisors Investment Management LLC Decreases Stock Position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Asset Advisors Investment Management LLC decreased its stake in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 105,429 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,810 shares during the period. Marriott International makes up 2.7% of Asset Advisors Investment Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 8th biggest holding. Asset Advisors Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $26,210,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in Marriott International by 4.8% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,024,187 shares of the company’s stock valued at $254,613,000 after acquiring an additional 46,563 shares during the period. National Pension Service lifted its stake in Marriott International by 11.6% in the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 719,613 shares of the company’s stock valued at $178,896,000 after purchasing an additional 74,832 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 5.1% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 679,757 shares of the company’s stock worth $164,355,000 after acquiring an additional 33,149 shares during the period. First Pacific Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 2.1% in the second quarter. First Pacific Advisors LP now owns 613,205 shares of the company’s stock valued at $148,255,000 after purchasing an additional 12,499 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 8.4% during the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 613,052 shares of the company’s stock worth $152,399,000 after acquiring an additional 47,551 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on MAR. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Marriott International from $252.00 to $283.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Marriott International from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Marriott International from $233.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $280.00 to $314.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Macquarie reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $245.00 price target on shares of Marriott International in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $263.70.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marriott International

In other news, insider William P. Brown sold 1,707 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.30, for a total transaction of $485,300.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 23,077 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,560,791.10. This represents a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.49, for a total value of $137,245.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 12,286 shares in the company, valued at $3,372,384.14. The trade was a 3.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 13,815 shares of company stock worth $3,919,739 over the last three months. Company insiders own 12.32% of the company’s stock.

Marriott International Price Performance

Shares of Marriott International stock opened at $289.99 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $274.12 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $248.34. Marriott International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $204.55 and a 1 year high of $295.45. The firm has a market cap of $80.59 billion, a PE ratio of 30.33, a PEG ratio of 5.56 and a beta of 1.58.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.26 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.31 by ($0.05). Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 177.91% and a net margin of 11.18%. The firm had revenue of $6.26 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.27 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.11 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Marriott International, Inc. will post 9.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, November 21st will be given a $0.63 dividend. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 21st. Marriott International’s payout ratio is presently 26.36%.

Marriott International Profile

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.