Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Holdings Trimmed by Sapient Capital LLC

Sapient Capital LLC lowered its holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 0.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 64,619 shares of the company’s stock after selling 96 shares during the period. Sapient Capital LLC’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $15,392,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Marriott International in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. purchased a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc raised its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 112.2% during the fourth quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 104 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda purchased a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Marriott International Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of MAR opened at $266.06 on Thursday. Marriott International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $204.55 and a 12-month high of $307.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $72.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.98, a P/E/G ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.42. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $247.75 and its 200 day moving average price is $265.25.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.25 by $0.07. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 116.67% and a net margin of 9.46%. The firm had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.19 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.13 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be paid a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. This is an increase from Marriott International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. Marriott International’s payout ratio is currently 30.52%.

Insider Transactions at Marriott International

In other news, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 12,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.90, for a total transaction of $3,166,800.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 124,067 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,741,281.30. This represents a 8.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 1,000 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.21, for a total value of $270,210.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 20,724 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,599,832.04. This represents a 4.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 10.68% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on MAR shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Marriott International from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Truist Financial cut their target price on Marriott International from $300.00 to $273.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 30th. Melius Research raised Marriott International to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Jefferies Financial Group raised Marriott International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $226.00 to $303.00 in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Susquehanna boosted their price target on Marriott International from $255.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marriott International has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $275.15.

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.