Kentucky Retirement Systems Has $6.07 Million Stock Position in Marriott International, Inc. $MAR

Kentucky Retirement Systems lifted its holdings in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 29.8% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 18,548 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,256 shares during the quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in Marriott International were worth $6,066,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MAR. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in Marriott International by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,440,359 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,377,577,000 after purchasing an additional 118,504 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors increased its stake in shares of Marriott International by 7.1% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 4,107,531 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,274,475,000 after buying an additional 272,250 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Marriott International in the fourth quarter valued at about $812,570,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in shares of Marriott International by 13.2% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,879,028 shares of the company’s stock worth $582,952,000 after acquiring an additional 219,579 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,619,423 shares of the company’s stock worth $502,410,000 after acquiring an additional 19,387 shares during the period. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MAR has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Marriott International from $376.00 to $379.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Marriott International in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $412.00 target price on shares of Marriott International in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $343.00 to $384.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Marriott International from $388.00 to $386.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $388.59.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Marriott International stock opened at $375.48 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $99.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.40, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.11. Marriott International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $253.76 and a 52-week high of $410.98. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $379.44 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $354.06.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.72 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.56 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.59 billion. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.72% and a negative return on equity of 80.97%. Marriott International’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.32 EPS. Marriott International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.380-11.630 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.990-3.060 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 11.66 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. This is an increase from Marriott International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 22nd. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.64%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Peggy Roe sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $361.56, for a total value of $1,084,680.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 19,827 shares in the company, valued at $7,168,650.12. This trade represents a 13.14% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 11.43% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Marriott International Company Profile

Marriott International is a global lodging company that develops, manages and franchises a broad portfolio of hotels and related lodging facilities. Its core activities include hotel and resort management, franchise operations, property development and the provision of centralized services such as reservations, marketing and loyalty program management. The company’s brand architecture spans market segments from luxury and premium to select-service and extended-stay, enabling it to serve a wide range of business and leisure travelers as well as corporate and group customers.

The company traces its roots to the hospitality business founded by J.