William P. Brown Sells 12,642 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Stock

Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) insider William P. Brown sold 12,642 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.63, for a total transaction of $3,610,934.46. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 30,919 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,831,393.97. This represents a 29.02 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Marriott International Stock Up 1.7 %

Shares of Marriott International stock opened at $282.16 on Thursday. Marriott International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $204.55 and a twelve month high of $307.52. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $283.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $266.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $77.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.57.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.45 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.37 by $0.08. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.46% and a negative return on equity of 116.67%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 27th will be issued a $0.63 dividend. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 27th. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MAR has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Marriott International from $252.00 to $283.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Marriott International from $251.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Marriott International from $280.00 to $314.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Macquarie restated a “neutral” rating and set a $245.00 target price on shares of Marriott International in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Susquehanna raised their target price on shares of Marriott International from $255.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $284.05.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marriott International

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC increased its holdings in Marriott International by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 5,554 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,549,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 10.8% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 379 shares of the company’s stock valued at $94,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. TFG Advisers LLC grew its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. TFG Advisers LLC now owns 4,426 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,235,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 8,698 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,162,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management grew its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 3,290 shares of the company’s stock valued at $918,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.