Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. Takes Position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm acquired 68,421 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,132,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MAR. Pinpoint Asset Management Ltd bought a new position in Marriott International in the 4th quarter worth about $221,000. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. purchased a new stake in shares of Marriott International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,086,000. Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC grew its stake in Marriott International by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 5,554 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,549,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Yoffe Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Marriott International during the 4th quarter valued at $206,000. Finally, Motley Fool Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 12.8% in the 4th quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC now owns 12,785 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,566,000 after buying an additional 1,455 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Marriott International

In related news, insider William P. Brown sold 12,642 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.63, for a total value of $3,610,934.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 30,919 shares in the company, valued at $8,831,393.97. The trade was a 29.02 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 14,282 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,971,395.74. This represents 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 worth $8,938,132 over the last 90 days. 12.32% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Marriott International Trading Down 4.5 %

NASDAQ:MAR opened at $214.58 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $267.40 and a 200-day simple moving average of $270.62. Marriott International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $204.55 and a 12 month high of $307.52. The company has a market capitalization of $59.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.79, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.42.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.37 by $0.08. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 116.67% and a net margin of 9.46%. Equities analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 27th were issued a $0.63 dividend. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 27th. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.29%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on MAR. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $251.00 to $269.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $285.00 to $277.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Barclays lowered their target price on Marriott International from $287.00 to $283.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Marriott International from $294.00 to $301.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Marriott International from $280.00 to $314.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Thirteen 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.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $286.05.

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.