Kentucky Retirement Systems Cuts Stock Position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Kentucky Retirement Systems decreased its holdings in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 5.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,735 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,004 shares during the quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in Marriott International were worth $4,727,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Caprock Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Marriott International by 255.1% during the 4th quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 11,781 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,657,000 after acquiring an additional 8,463 shares during the last quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of Marriott International by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC now owns 2,457,382 shares of the company’s stock valued at $554,164,000 after acquiring an additional 7,135 shares during the last quarter. Redwood Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Marriott International by 208.3% during the 4th quarter. Redwood Investment Management LLC now owns 26,927 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,072,000 after acquiring an additional 18,192 shares during the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp boosted its position in shares of Marriott International by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 124,569 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,092,000 after acquiring an additional 4,247 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Marriott International by 86.8% during the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 44,957 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,138,000 after acquiring an additional 20,890 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on MAR shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Marriott International from $235.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Marriott International from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Marriott International from $248.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Marriott International from $240.00 to $251.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Marriott International from $250.00 to $248.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marriott International presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $243.59.

Marriott International Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of MAR traded up $2.85 during trading on Friday, reaching $236.60. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 929,373 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,537,140. The company has a fifty day moving average of $238.90 and a two-hundred day moving average of $241.86. Marriott International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $180.75 and a twelve month high of $260.57. The company has a market cap of $67.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.42, a P/E/G ratio of 4.45 and a beta of 1.60.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.17 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $5.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.95 billion. Marriott International had a net margin of 12.00% and a negative return on equity of 376.88%. The business’s revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.09 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 9.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 24th were given a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 23rd. This is a positive change from Marriott International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.07%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.01%.

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, and City Express by Marriott brand names, as well as operates residences, timeshares, and yachts.