Farther Finance Advisors LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 18.4% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 3,104 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 483 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $866,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. NewEdge Wealth LLC lifted its position in Marriott International by 34.4% in the fourth quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 4,345 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,212,000 after acquiring an additional 1,112 shares during the last quarter. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas purchased a new stake in Marriott International in the third quarter valued at $2,721,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new stake in Marriott International in the fourth quarter valued at $2,990,000. Kinsale Capital Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Marriott International in the third quarter valued at $3,769,000. Finally, Covea Finance lifted its position in Marriott International by 69.9% in the fourth quarter. Covea Finance now owns 60,540 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,887,000 after acquiring an additional 24,900 shares during the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marriott International Trading Up 2.5 %

Shares of MAR opened at $243.11 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $278.37 and its two-hundred day moving average is $269.37. Marriott International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $204.55 and a twelve month high of $307.52. The firm has a market capitalization 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 announced 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 net margin of 9.46% and a negative return on equity of 116.67%. Analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.04%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 27th. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.29%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on MAR. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Marriott International from $280.00 to $314.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Evercore ISI raised shares of Marriott International from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $330.00 target price for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Marriott International from $251.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Marriott International from $246.00 to $293.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Marriott International from $252.00 to $283.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $286.45.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marriott International

In related news, EVP Rena Hozore Reiss sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $286.65, for a total transaction of $1,003,275.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 24,733 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,089,714.45. This represents a 12.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owns 14,282 shares in the company, valued at $3,971,395.74. The trade was a 50.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 31,694 shares of company stock valued at $8,938,132 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 12.32% of the company’s stock.

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.