Ghe LLC Purchases 56 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Ghe LLC raised its stake in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 1.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 5,586 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the quarter. Ghe LLC’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $1,260,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 6,425 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,449,000 after acquiring an additional 256 shares during the period. Hartline Investment Corp increased its stake in shares of Marriott International by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Hartline Investment Corp now owns 96,383 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,735,000 after buying an additional 2,510 shares in the last quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Marriott International by 12.8% in the fourth quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 40,522 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,138,000 after buying an additional 4,593 shares in the last quarter. Cumberland Partners Ltd acquired a new stake in Marriott International in the fourth quarter worth about $564,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new stake in Marriott International in the fourth quarter worth about $292,000. 70.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MAR has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Marriott International from $234.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 18th. Argus lifted their price objective on Marriott International from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 19th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Marriott International from $239.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 19th. Mizuho decreased their target price on Marriott International from $263.00 to $260.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Marriott International from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Marriott International currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $236.69.

Marriott International Price Performance

NASDAQ MAR traded up $4.37 on Wednesday, reaching $244.06. The stock had a trading volume of 2,300,880 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,453,199. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $248.35 and a two-hundred day moving average of $226.60. Marriott International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $162.77 and a 1-year high of $260.57. The company has a market cap of $70.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.62.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $3.57 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.12 by $1.45. The firm had revenue of $6.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.20 billion. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 848.49% and a net margin of 13.00%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.96 EPS. Research analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 9.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 22nd were given a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 21st. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.85%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.41%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Eric Hippeau sold 1,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $251.19, for a total transaction of $351,666.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 72 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,085.68. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Marriott International news, Director Eric Hippeau sold 1,400 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $251.19, for a total value of $351,666.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 72 shares in the company, valued at $18,085.68. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Drew Pinto sold 1,404 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $242.87, for a total value of $340,989.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,996 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,456,248.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 125,003 shares of company stock worth $30,435,493 in the last ninety days. 10.07% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Marriott International Profile

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.