Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Shares Bought by HighTower Advisors LLC

HighTower Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 2.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 97,065 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,588 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $27,075,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MAR. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the 4th quarter valued at $165,162,000. PointState Capital LP purchased a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the 3rd quarter valued at $98,249,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Marriott International by 36,564.5% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 360,779 shares of the company’s stock valued at $100,636,000 after buying an additional 359,795 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in Marriott International by 341.6% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 381,226 shares of the company’s stock worth $106,339,000 after purchasing an additional 294,898 shares during the period. Finally, Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich boosted its position in Marriott International by 35,705.3% during the 4th quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 241,686 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,681,000 after purchasing an additional 241,011 shares during the period. 70.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Rena Hozore Reiss sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 24,733 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,089,714.45. This trade represents a 12.40 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider William P. Brown sold 12,642 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.63, for a total transaction of $3,610,934.46. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 30,919 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,831,393.97. The trade was a 29.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 31,694 shares of company stock worth $8,938,132 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 12.32% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on MAR. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Marriott International from $251.00 to $269.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Susquehanna upped their price target on shares of Marriott International from $255.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Marriott International from $285.00 to $277.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Argus upped their price target on shares of Marriott International from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $287.00 to $283.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $286.45.

Marriott International Stock Up 2.5 %

Shares of MAR opened at $243.11 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $278.37 and its 200-day moving average is $269.37. Marriott International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $204.55 and a 12 month high of $307.52. The firm has a market cap of $67.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.58.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last posted its earnings results 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%. As a group, research analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, February 27th will be paid a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.04%. Marriott International’s payout ratio is presently 30.29%.

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.