T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. Grows Stock Position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 3.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 29,743 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,073 shares during the quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $8,297,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Marriott International by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 5,554 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,549,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. TFG Advisers LLC raised its stake in shares of Marriott International by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. TFG Advisers LLC now owns 4,426 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,235,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management raised its stake in shares of 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 worth $918,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Evermay Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Marriott International by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Evermay Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,415 shares of the company’s stock worth $953,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Essex Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of Marriott International by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 3,004 shares of the company’s stock worth $838,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Truist Financial reduced their price target on Marriott International from $308.00 to $300.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of Marriott International from $295.00 to $226.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $294.00 to $301.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Argus boosted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $245.00 target price (down from $313.00) on shares of Marriott International in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $273.10.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 14,282 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,971,395.74. This represents a 50.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Susan C. Schwab sold 1,054 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 4,551 shares in the company, valued at $1,262,811.48. This represents a 18.80 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 31,694 shares of company stock valued at $8,938,132 over the last 90 days. 10.68% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Marriott International Stock Down 0.0 %

Marriott International stock opened at $236.20 on Monday. Marriott International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $204.55 and a 52-week high of $307.52. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $244.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $267.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.39, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.42.

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

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 27th were paid a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.07%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 27th. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.29%.

Marriott International 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.