Blue Trust Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 3.4% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 5,478 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 178 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $1,528,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Jensen Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Marriott International during the third quarter valued at approximately $793,000. BayBridge Capital Group LLC bought a new position in Marriott International during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,254,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its stake in Marriott International by 0.5% during 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 last quarter. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas purchased a new stake in shares of Marriott International in the third quarter worth $2,721,000. Finally, Kinsale Capital Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Marriott International during the third quarter valued at $3,769,000. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MAR has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Macquarie reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $245.00 price objective on shares of Marriott International in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $262.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Mizuho increased their target price on Marriott International from $246.00 to $293.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Marriott International from $258.00 to $264.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on Marriott International from $287.00 to $283.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $284.45.

Insider Activity at Marriott International

In other Marriott International news, insider William P. Brown sold 1,707 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.30, for a total transaction of $485,300.10. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 23,077 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,560,791.10. This trade represents a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 12.32% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Marriott International Price Performance

Shares of MAR stock opened at $283.52 on Friday. Marriott International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $204.55 and a 1 year high of $307.52. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $284.12 and a 200-day moving average price of $262.57. The company has a market cap of $78.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.66, a PEG ratio of 4.88 and a beta of 1.57.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.45 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.37 by $0.08. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 177.91% and a net margin of 11.18%. Equities research analysts expect that Marriott International, Inc. will post 9.26 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 27th will be paid a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.89%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.36%.

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.