Catalina Capital Group LLC Purchases 85 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Catalina Capital Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 9.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 949 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. Catalina Capital Group LLC’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $265,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MAR. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Marriott International by 10.8% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 379 shares of the company’s stock worth $94,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its position in Marriott International by 0.4% during the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 8,698 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,162,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management raised its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Evermay Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Marriott International by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Evermay Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,415 shares of the company’s stock valued at $953,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Finally, Haverford Trust Co raised its position in shares of Marriott International by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Haverford Trust Co now owns 4,207 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,046,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MAR has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Argus raised their target price on Marriott International from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Marriott International from $238.00 to $261.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Marriott International from $251.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $249.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Macquarie restated a “neutral” rating and set a $245.00 price target on shares of Marriott International in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $272.15.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MAR opened at $290.46 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $283.06 and its 200-day simple moving average is $259.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $80.72 billion, a PE ratio of 30.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.68 and a beta of 1.57. Marriott International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $204.55 and a fifty-two week high of $295.45.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.26 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.31 by ($0.05). Marriott International had a net margin of 11.18% and a negative return on equity of 177.91%. The company had revenue of $6.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.27 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.11 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 9.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, November 21st were given a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.87%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.36%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.49, for a total transaction of $137,245.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 12,286 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,372,384.14. This represents a 3.91 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider William P. Brown sold 1,707 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.30, for a total transaction of $485,300.10. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 23,077 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,560,791.10. The trade was a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 13,815 shares of company stock valued at $3,919,739 over the last quarter. Company 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.