Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund Invests $9.43 Million in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund bought a new stake in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 33,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,428,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MAR. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in Marriott International by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,024,187 shares of the company’s stock valued at $254,613,000 after acquiring an additional 46,563 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service raised its holdings in Marriott International by 11.6% in the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 719,613 shares of the company’s stock valued at $178,896,000 after buying an additional 74,832 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its holdings in Marriott International by 8.4% in the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 613,052 shares of the company’s stock valued at $152,399,000 after buying an additional 47,551 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its holdings in Marriott International by 0.5% in the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 566,548 shares of the company’s stock valued at $140,844,000 after buying an additional 2,723 shares during the period. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its holdings in Marriott International by 3.0% in the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 443,103 shares of the company’s stock valued at $110,156,000 after buying an additional 12,702 shares during the period. 70.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on MAR shares. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $251.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $258.00 to $264.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $246.00 to $293.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on shares of Marriott International from $262.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Marriott International from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $284.05.

Marriott International Price Performance

Marriott International stock opened at $277.47 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $76.50 billion, a PE ratio of 33.35, a P/E/G ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.57. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $283.73 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $265.45. Marriott International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $204.55 and a 12 month high of $307.52.

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

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 27th will be issued a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 27th. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.29%.

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.