Argus Investors Counsel Inc. Boosts Stake in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Argus Investors Counsel Inc. grew its stake in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 0.6% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 7,731 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. Argus Investors Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $1,743,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in MAR. FMR LLC grew its holdings in Marriott International by 16.1% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 8,634,610 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,697,219,000 after acquiring an additional 1,194,665 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Marriott International by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,969,166 shares of the company’s stock worth $822,982,000 after purchasing an additional 74,821 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley lifted its position in shares of Marriott International by 52.7% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 4,811,245 shares of the company’s stock worth $716,346,000 after purchasing an additional 1,659,637 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Marriott International by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,734,680 shares of the company’s stock worth $537,529,000 after purchasing an additional 48,872 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in Marriott International by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,461,649 shares of the company’s stock valued at $483,862,000 after acquiring an additional 12,901 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MAR opened at $252.31 on Monday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $246.57 and its 200-day moving average price is $220.23. The company has a market cap of $72.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.76, a PEG ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.62. Marriott International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $160.15 and a fifty-two week high of $256.53.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $3.57 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.12 by $1.45. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 848.49% and a net margin of 13.00%. The business had revenue of $6.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.20 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.96 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 9.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 22nd were paid a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 21st. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.41%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on shares of Marriott International from $250.00 to $248.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Marriott International from $233.00 to $263.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Marriott International from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Marriott International from $234.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 18th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $210.00 to $259.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $236.81.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 47,109 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $242.71, for a total transaction of $11,433,825.39. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 20,036 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,862,937.56. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, insider Deborah Marriott Harrison sold 37,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.46, for a total transaction of $9,006,458.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 9,100 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,197,286. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 47,109 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $242.71, for a total value of $11,433,825.39. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 20,036 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,862,937.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 125,003 shares of company stock valued at $30,435,493 over the last three months. 12.32% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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, and City Express by Marriott brand names, as well as operates residences, timeshares, and yachts.