AIA Group Ltd Lowers Holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

AIA Group Ltd trimmed its holdings in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 4.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 178,824 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,259 shares during the quarter. Marriott International comprises about 1.2% of AIA Group Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 19th largest position. AIA Group Ltd owned 0.06% of Marriott International worth $49,881,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Townsquare Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Marriott International by 22.3% during the 3rd quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 7,393 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,838,000 after purchasing an additional 1,349 shares during the last quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC raised its position in Marriott International by 7.5% in the 3rd quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 1,772 shares of the company’s stock worth $441,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its position in Marriott International by 1.0% during the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 46,185 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,482,000 after buying an additional 435 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board lifted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 8,944 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,223,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Edgestream Partners L.P. boosted its holdings in Marriott International by 18.8% during the 3rd quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 6,141 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,527,000 after acquiring an additional 970 shares during the period. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MAR has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Marriott International from $289.00 to $298.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Truist Financial dropped their price target on Marriott International from $308.00 to $300.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Marriott International from $251.00 to $269.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Marriott International from $287.00 to $283.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Marriott International from $285.00 to $277.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $286.05.

Marriott International Stock Down 3.0 %

NASDAQ MAR opened at $237.01 on Monday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $272.32 and a 200-day moving average price of $270.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.49, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.58. Marriott International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $204.55 and a 52 week high of $307.52.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.37 by $0.08. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.46% and a negative return on equity of 116.67%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 27th will be given a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.06%. Marriott International’s payout ratio is currently 30.29%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Susan C. Schwab sold 1,054 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $277.48, for a total value of $292,463.92. Following the transaction, the director now owns 4,551 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,262,811.48. The trade was a 18.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $278.07, for a total transaction of $4,031,458.86. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 14,282 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,971,395.74. The trade was a 50.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 31,694 shares of company stock worth $8,938,132 in the last three months. Company insiders own 12.32% 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.