Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd Sells 1,800 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd reduced its holdings in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 54.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,500 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,800 shares during the period. Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $418,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Marriott International in the 4th quarter worth about $165,162,000. PointState Capital LP purchased a new position in Marriott International in the third quarter worth about $98,249,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 36,564.5% in the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 360,779 shares of the company’s stock worth $100,636,000 after buying an additional 359,795 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its position in shares of Marriott International by 341.6% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 381,226 shares of the company’s stock valued at $106,339,000 after acquiring an additional 294,898 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich raised its holdings in Marriott International by 35,705.3% in the 4th quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 241,686 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,681,000 after acquiring an additional 241,011 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MAR has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Susquehanna boosted their price target on Marriott International from $255.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $289.00 to $298.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Argus increased their price target on Marriott International from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Marriott International from $252.00 to $283.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised Marriott International from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $330.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $286.45.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Susan C. Schwab sold 1,054 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $277.48, for a total transaction of $292,463.92. Following the sale, the director now owns 4,551 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,262,811.48. This represents a 18.80 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $278.07, for a total transaction of $4,031,458.86. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 14,282 shares in the company, valued at $3,971,395.74. This trade represents a 50.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 31,694 shares of company stock worth $8,938,132. Insiders own 12.32% of the company’s stock.

Marriott International Price Performance

Marriott International stock opened at $243.11 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $278.37 and its 200-day moving average price is $269.66. Marriott International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $204.55 and a 1 year high of $307.52. The stock has a market cap of $67.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.22, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.58.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, February 27th will be issued a $0.63 dividend. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 27th. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.29%.

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.