Handelsbanken Fonder AB Grows Stake in Marriott International, Inc. $MAR

Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 4.0% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 69,554 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,658 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $21,578,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,774,015 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,410,384,000 after acquiring an additional 230,820 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 21.7% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,175,377 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,389,635,000 after acquiring an additional 1,637,119 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its position in shares of Marriott International by 9.3% in the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,465,420 shares of the company’s stock valued at $381,654,000 after purchasing an additional 124,759 shares during the period. Fayez Sarofim & Co boosted its position in shares of Marriott International by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Fayez Sarofim & Co now owns 971,981 shares of the company’s stock valued at $256,359,000 after purchasing an additional 4,534 shares during the period. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its position in shares of Marriott International by 26.2% in the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 846,740 shares of the company’s stock valued at $220,525,000 after purchasing an additional 175,637 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on MAR shares. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Marriott International from $355.00 to $398.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Truist Financial upped their target price on Marriott International from $283.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Marriott International in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Evercore upped their target price on Marriott International from $320.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Mizuho upped their target price on Marriott International from $343.00 to $384.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Marriott International currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $381.64.

Key Stories Impacting Marriott International

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

• Positive Sentiment: Marriott is leaning into stronger outbound travel from India and reshaping its loyalty program around experiences, which could support higher customer engagement and international demand. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Marriott and The Fern Hotels & Resorts announced 75 signings and 50 openings for Series by Marriott in India, signaling continued expansion in a key growth market. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: A major Chicago venue is reportedly being converted into a Marriott-branded hotel, adding to the company’s development pipeline and brand reach. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor attention was also drawn to Marriott’s recent earnings call and outlook commentary, which supported the narrative that the company is managing through regional headwinds while still lifting guidance. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: EVP Peggy Roe sold 3,000 shares in an SEC-disclosed transaction; the sale is worth noting, but it was modest relative to her remaining stake and does not necessarily indicate a change in the company’s outlook. Article Title

Insider Activity

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

Marriott International Trading Up 3.1%

Marriott International stock opened at $369.75 on Thursday. Marriott International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $253.55 and a twelve month high of $380.00. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $345.52 and a two-hundred day moving average of $325.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $97.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.80, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.11.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.72 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.56 by $0.16. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 80.97% and a net margin of 9.72%.The company had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.59 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.32 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. 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. Equities analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 11.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.73 per share. This is a positive change from Marriott International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.64%.

About Marriott International

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.