DNB Asset Management AS Lowers Position in Marriott International, Inc. $MAR

DNB Asset Management AS reduced its position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 15.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 43,452 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,652 shares during the period. DNB Asset Management AS’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $11,317,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MAR. Choreo LLC raised its stake in shares of Marriott International by 6.9% during the 3rd quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 30,586 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,966,000 after buying an additional 1,961 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in Marriott International by 4.5% in the third quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 479,081 shares of the company’s stock worth $124,772,000 after acquiring an additional 20,601 shares in the last quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Marriott International by 3.3% in the third quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 1,104 shares of the company’s stock valued at $288,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. Empirical Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marriott International during the 3rd quarter worth $116,000. Finally, Fox Run Management L.L.C. purchased a new position in shares of Marriott International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $360,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MAR has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Marriott International in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Citigroup boosted their target price on Marriott International from $285.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on Marriott International from $329.00 to $369.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $283.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on shares of Marriott International from $320.00 to $356.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $343.27.

Key Headlines Impacting Marriott International

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks increased several near-term EPS forecasts (Q1–Q4 2026 and portions of 2026–2027) and raised FY2026 estimates, suggesting better-than-expected recovery momentum and higher near-term earnings visibility. These upgrades are constructive for MAR’s earnings trajectory and valuation in the near term.
• Positive Sentiment: Marriott is expanding its higher-margin luxury pipeline and international footprint — e.g., the W Atlanta Downtown conversion to JW Marriott (luxury repositioning) and announced record EMEA signings — supporting long-term unit growth and fee-based revenue potential. W Atlanta Downtown will convert to JW Marriott Marriott deepens Middle East footprint
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector commentary notes persistent hotel-industry headwinds but highlights growth levers — memberships, conversions and loyalty programs — where Marriott is competitive. This keeps the story mixed: positive operational levers but ongoing macro/industry pressure. 3 Hotel Stocks to Watch
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks also issued mixed/negative adjustments to parts of 2027: cuts to Q1 and Q2 2027 and a modest downgrade to FY2027 (from $12.81 to $12.72), creating uncertainty about longer‑term margin recovery and smoothing of results. These downward tweaks likely contributed to intraday selling pressure as investors re‑price medium‑term growth assumptions.
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks’ FY2028 EPS projection of $14.12 (well above current consensus of ~$10.10) signals bullish long‑range assumptions but also introduces forecast dispersion — some investors may view that as optimistic and discount near-term risk, adding to volatility.

Insider Activity at Marriott International

In other Marriott International news, insider Rajeev Menon sold 6,333 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.61, for a total value of $2,258,411.13. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 9,492 shares in the company, valued at $3,384,942.12. The trade was a 40.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 63,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $359.22, for a total transaction of $22,630,860.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 113,617 shares in the company, valued at approximately $40,813,498.74. The trade was a 35.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 97,157 shares of company stock worth $34,768,825. Company insiders own 10.68% of the company’s stock.

Marriott International Stock Down 2.5%

MAR opened at $341.73 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $328.23 and its 200 day simple moving average is $294.47. Marriott International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $205.40 and a 52 week high of $370.00. The firm has a market cap of $90.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.01, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 1.13.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.61 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $6.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.67 billion. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 84.23% and a net margin of 9.93%.Marriott International’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.45 earnings per share. Marriott International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.320-11.570 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 2.500-2.550 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 26th will be issued a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 26th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Marriott International’s payout ratio is 28.24%.

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.