Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Shares Purchased by Horizon Investments LLC

Horizon Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 1.9% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 4,458 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the quarter. Horizon Investments LLC’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $1,244,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MAR. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in Marriott International by 10.8% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 379 shares of the company’s stock worth $94,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. TFG Advisers LLC grew its position in shares of Marriott International by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. TFG Advisers LLC now owns 4,426 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,235,000 after buying an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of Marriott International by 1.2% during 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 buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Evermay Wealth Management LLC lifted 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 worth $953,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Essex Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in Marriott International by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 3,004 shares of the company’s stock worth $838,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Marriott International Trading Up 3.0 %

NASDAQ:MAR opened at $247.62 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $68.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.76, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.58. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $276.77 and its 200-day simple moving average is $269.96. Marriott International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $204.55 and a 12-month high of $307.52.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. Research analysts forecast 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 will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 27th will be given a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.02%. Marriott International’s payout ratio is currently 30.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $287.00 to $283.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Evercore ISI raised Marriott International from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $330.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Truist Financial raised their target price on Marriott International from $277.00 to $308.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Marriott International from $289.00 to $298.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $294.00 to $301.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $286.45.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Rena Hozore Reiss sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $286.65, for a total transaction of $1,003,275.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 24,733 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,089,714.45. This trade represents a 12.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 14,282 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,971,395.74. This trade represents a 50.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 31,694 shares of company stock valued at $8,938,132. Corporate insiders own 12.32% of the company’s stock.

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.