Waycross Partners LLC Buys 4,374 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. $MAR

Waycross Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 4,374 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,556,000.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MAR. Kintegral Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of Marriott International by 0.6% in the third quarter. Kintegral Advisory LLC now owns 4,731 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,683,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the period. Evergreen Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 0.5% during the third quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 5,366 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,909,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the period. World Equity Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Marriott International by 2.0% in the second quarter. World Equity Group Inc. now owns 1,437 shares of the company’s stock worth $533,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Founders Financial Securities LLC grew its stake in shares of Marriott International by 0.8% in the third quarter. Founders Financial Securities LLC now owns 3,493 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,242,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management increased its holdings in Marriott International by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 2,472 shares of the company’s stock valued at $808,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Marriott International

In related news, insider Deborah Harrison sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $352.09, for a total value of $1,232,315.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 282,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $99,424,230.47. This represents a 1.22% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 63,355 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $420.12, for a total value of $26,616,702.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 50,867 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,370,244.04. The trade was a 55.47% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 77,824 shares of company stock valued at $32,243,110. 11.43% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Marriott International News

Here are the key news stories impacting Marriott International this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Marriott declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.73 per share, payable December 31 to shareholders of record November 19. The annualized dividend is $2.92, a modest income-return component for investors. Marriott dividend announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Recent quarterly results beat analyst estimates for earnings and revenue; a MarketBeat review noted that fee growth outpaced room revenue, supporting the view that Marriott’s performance is not solely dependent on travel demand. Marriott earnings analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Marriott is entering Laos with a Luxury Collection property, extending its international brand presence and potential fee-generating hotel network. Marriott debuts in Laos
• Positive Sentiment: Recent headlines point to bullish views from Robert W. Baird, Barclays and Goldman Sachs, while Zacks characterized MAR as a strong momentum stock. These indicate favorable analyst and trend sentiment, though the provided reports give no price targets or detailed rationale. Baird view Barclays view Goldman Sachs view Zacks momentum article
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Anthony Capuano sold 63,355 shares for about $26.6 million, reducing his direct stake by 55.47%. EVPs Rena Reiss and Benjamin Breland also sold shares. Multiple insider sales can raise investor concern, although the filings alone do not establish the executives’ reasons. CEO SEC filing Rena Reiss SEC filing Benjamin Breland SEC filing
• Negative Sentiment: Freedom Broker downgraded Marriott from “strong buy” to “hold,” tempering the otherwise positive analyst headlines. Freedom Broker ratings

Marriott International Price Performance

MAR traded down $0.81 on Friday, hitting $416.47. The company had a trading volume of 1,685,415 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,487,814. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $366.29 and a 200-day simple moving average of $358.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $108.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.56, a P/E/G ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 1.15. Marriott International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $280.99 and a 52-week high of $433.30.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 2nd. The company reported $3.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $7 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.93 billion. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 73.98% and a net margin of 9.68%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.47 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Marriott International, Inc. will post 12.10 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 Thursday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.14%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on MAR. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Marriott International in a research report on Wednesday. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Marriott International from $365.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Marriott International from $426.00 to $463.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Freedom Broker downgraded Marriott International from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $445.00 price target on shares of Marriott International in a research note on Wednesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Marriott International currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $399.04.

About Marriott International

Marriott International is a global lodging company that manages, franchises, and licenses hotels, resorts, and other accommodations. Its portfolio spans luxury, premium, select-service, and extended-stay brands, including The Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, W Hotels, Marriott, Sheraton, Courtyard, Residence Inn, and Moxy.

The company traces its origins to a root beer stand opened by J. Willard and Alice Marriott in Washington, DC, in 1927. It entered the lodging business in the 1950s and is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland.

Marriott serves travelers in countries and territories around the world and offers the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program.