Denali Advisors LLC Cuts Stake in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Denali Advisors LLC lowered its position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 44.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,794 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,697 shares during the period. Denali Advisors LLC’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $2,732,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MAR. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in Marriott International by 10.8% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 379 shares of the company’s stock valued at $94,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. TFG Advisers LLC grew its stake in Marriott International by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. TFG Advisers LLC now owns 4,426 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,235,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Marriott International by 0.4% in the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 8,698 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,162,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management grew its stake in Marriott International by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 3,290 shares of the company’s stock valued at $918,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Evermay Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Marriott International by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Evermay Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,415 shares of the company’s stock valued at $953,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MAR has been the topic of several analyst reports. Susquehanna lifted their target price on Marriott International from $255.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Marriott International from $280.00 to $314.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Argus boosted their price target on Marriott International from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on Marriott International from $262.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Marriott International from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $284.05.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marriott International

In other news, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The stock was 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. The trade was a 50.38 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider William P. Brown sold 12,642 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.63, for a total transaction of $3,610,934.46. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 30,919 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,831,393.97. This trade represents a 29.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 30,640 shares of company stock worth $8,645,668. Corporate insiders own 10.07% of the company’s stock.

Marriott International Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:MAR opened at $277.46 on Wednesday. Marriott International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $204.55 and a 12-month high of $307.52. The company has a market capitalization of $76.49 billion, a PE ratio of 33.35, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.57. The business has a 50 day moving average of $283.22 and a two-hundred day moving average of $266.30.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last announced 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%. Equities research analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 27th will be issued 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 0.91%. Marriott International’s payout ratio is currently 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.