Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership Grows Stake in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its stake in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 19.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 790,162 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 125,993 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership owned approximately 0.28% of Marriott International worth $220,408,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Townsquare Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Marriott International by 22.3% during the third quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 7,393 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,838,000 after acquiring an additional 1,349 shares in the last quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 7.5% during the third quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 1,772 shares of the company’s stock valued at $441,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its position in shares of 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 last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board lifted its stake in Marriott International by 5.9% during 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 period. Finally, Edgestream Partners L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 970 shares during the period. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MAR. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Marriott International from $246.00 to $293.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Marriott International from $287.00 to $283.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Marriott International from $251.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Marriott International from $285.00 to $277.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, 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 report on Tuesday, December 10th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $286.05.

Insider Activity at Marriott International

In other Marriott International news, EVP Rena Hozore Reiss sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $286.65, for a total value of $1,003,275.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 24,733 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,089,714.45. This represents a 12.40 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $278.07, for a total transaction of $4,031,458.86. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 31,694 shares of company stock worth $8,938,132. 12.32% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Marriott International Stock Down 3.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ:MAR opened at $237.01 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $272.32 and a 200 day moving average of $270.93. The company has a market capitalization of $65.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.49, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.37 by $0.08. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 116.67% and a net margin of 9.46%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.06%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 27th. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.29%.

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.