Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Decreases Stake in Marriott International, Inc. $MAR

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lessened its stake in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 5.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 523,586 shares of the company’s stock after selling 31,796 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $171,249,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 9.3% during the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,465,420 shares of the company’s stock worth $381,654,000 after purchasing an additional 124,759 shares during the last quarter. FMB Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Marriott International during the fourth quarter worth $1,762,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Marriott International in the 4th quarter valued at about $812,570,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Marriott International by 183.7% in the fourth quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 56,180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,429,000 after purchasing an additional 36,380 shares during the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors increased its stake in shares of Marriott International by 130.8% in the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 16,014 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,968,000 after buying an additional 9,075 shares during the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marriott International Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of MAR opened at $372.47 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $98.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 1.11. Marriott International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $253.76 and a 12-month high of $410.98. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $374.99 and its 200 day moving average price is $348.19.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.56 by $0.16. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.72% and a negative return on equity of 80.97%. The business had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.59 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.32 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. Marriott International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.380-11.630 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.990-3.060 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Marriott International, Inc. will post 11.64 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 22nd were issued a $0.73 dividend. This is a positive change from Marriott International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 22nd. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.64%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MAR has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Marriott International from $350.00 to $353.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Marriott International from $336.00 to $412.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, June 15th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Marriott International in a report on Monday, May 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $412.00 target price on Marriott International in a report on Monday, June 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Marriott International from $356.00 to $383.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $384.73.

Insider Activity at Marriott International

In other news, EVP Peggy Roe sold 3,000 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $361.56, for a total transaction of $1,084,680.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 19,827 shares in the company, valued at $7,168,650.12. The trade was a 13.14% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 11.43% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Marriott International Profile

Marriott International is a global lodging company that develops, manages and franchises a broad portfolio of hotels and related lodging facilities. Its core activities include hotel and resort management, franchise operations, property development and the provision of centralized services such as reservations, marketing and loyalty program management. The company’s brand architecture spans market segments from luxury and premium to select-service and extended-stay, enabling it to serve a wide range of business and leisure travelers as well as corporate and group customers.

The company traces its roots to the hospitality business founded by J.