Principal Financial Group Inc. Cuts Stock Position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Principal Financial Group Inc. reduced its position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 2.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 258,442 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,196 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.09% of Marriott International worth $72,090,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in Marriott International by 4.8% during 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 worth $254,613,000 after buying an additional 46,563 shares during the period. National Pension Service grew its stake in shares of Marriott International by 11.6% in the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 719,613 shares of the company’s stock worth $178,896,000 after acquiring an additional 74,832 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 47,551 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted 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 purchasing an additional 2,723 shares during the period. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in Marriott International by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 443,103 shares of the company’s stock worth $110,156,000 after purchasing an additional 12,702 shares during the period. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on MAR shares. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on Marriott International from $295.00 to $283.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Marriott International from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $277.00 to $308.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Barclays dropped their target price on Marriott International from $287.00 to $283.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Marriott International from $251.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $284.05.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Shares of Marriott International stock opened at $287.56 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $283.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $264.13. Marriott International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $204.55 and a 1 year high of $307.52. The company has a market capitalization of $79.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.56, a PEG ratio of 3.38 and a beta of 1.57.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last issued 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 negative return on equity of 116.67% and a net margin of 9.46%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current 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 given a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.88%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.29%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider William P. Brown sold 1,707 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.30, for a total value of $485,300.10. Following the completion of 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 10.07% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Marriott International Company Profile

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.