Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. Acquires 64 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. grew its holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 6.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,081 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 64 shares during the quarter. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co.’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $302,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MAR. CENTRAL TRUST Co increased its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 8.2% in the fourth quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 927 shares of the company’s stock valued at $259,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 8,059 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,247,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Greenleaf Trust increased its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 17.8% in the fourth quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 4,544 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,268,000 after purchasing an additional 685 shares in the last quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC increased its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 5.9% in the fourth quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 8,301 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,316,000 after purchasing an additional 463 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 7,653 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,135,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on MAR. Evercore ISI raised shares of Marriott International from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $330.00 target price for the company in a report on Tuesday. Bank of America upped their price objective on Marriott International from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on Marriott International from $295.00 to $283.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Marriott International from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price objective on Marriott International from $233.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $276.35.

Marriott International Stock Performance

NASDAQ:MAR opened at $290.75 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $283.11 and a 200 day simple moving average of $259.42. Marriott International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $204.55 and a 52-week high of $295.45. The company has a market cap of $80.80 billion, a PE ratio of 30.41, a PEG ratio of 4.68 and a beta of 1.57.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.26 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.31 by ($0.05). Marriott International had a net margin of 11.18% and a negative return on equity of 177.91%. The company had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.27 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.11 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 9.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, November 21st were given a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.87%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.36%.

Insider Activity at Marriott International

In other news, CAO Felitia Lee sold 916 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $276.48, for a total value of $253,255.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,609 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,550,776.32. This trade represents a 14.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider William P. Brown sold 1,707 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.30, for a total value of $485,300.10. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 23,077 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,560,791.10. The trade was a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 13,315 shares of company stock valued at $3,782,494. Insiders own 10.07% of the company’s stock.

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.