Loomis Sayles & Co. L P Invests $83,000 in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Loomis Sayles & Co. L P acquired a new position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 296 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $83,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MAR. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Marriott International in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc boosted its position in shares of Marriott International by 112.2% in the 4th quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 104 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its stake in Marriott International by 494.4% during the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 107 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Marriott International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, ORG Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 158.5% in the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 137 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on MAR shares. Barclays reduced their price target 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. UBS Group raised their price target on Marriott International from $294.00 to $301.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Truist Financial reduced their price objective 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. Evercore ISI upgraded Marriott International from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $330.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price target on Marriott International from $246.00 to $293.00 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 data from MarketBeat.com, Marriott International presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $286.05.

Marriott International Price Performance

MAR opened at $237.01 on Monday. Marriott International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $204.55 and a 1-year high of $307.52. The stock has a market cap of $65.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.49, a P/E/G ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.58. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $272.32 and its 200 day simple moving average is $270.93.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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%. Research analysts expect that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Susan C. Schwab sold 1,054 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director now directly owns 4,551 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,262,811.48. This trade represents a 18.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 14,282 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,971,395.74. This trade represents a 50.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 31,694 shares of company stock valued at $8,938,132. 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.