MUFG Securities EMEA plc Sells 157,182 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. $MAR

MUFG Securities EMEA plc cut its stake in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 63.8% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 89,141 shares of the company’s stock after selling 157,182 shares during the period. MUFG Securities EMEA plc’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $27,655,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MAR. Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in Marriott International during the third quarter worth $28,000. Basepoint Wealth LLC bought a new position in Marriott International during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. bought a new position in Marriott International during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Rachor Investment Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Marriott International during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Marriott International during the second quarter worth $37,000. 70.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Marriott International Stock Performance

NASDAQ MAR opened at $375.60 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $99.04 billion, a PE ratio of 39.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.11. Marriott International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $253.55 and a 52-week high of $388.37. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $353.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $330.03.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.72 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.56 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.59 billion. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.72% and a negative return on equity of 80.97%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.32 earnings per share. 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. As a group, analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 11.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on MAR shares. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $357.00 to $415.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Marriott International in a research note on Monday, May 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $356.00 to $383.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Marriott International to $446.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $372.00 to $376.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $382.07.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Peggy Roe sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 19,827 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,168,650.12. This represents a 13.14% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 11.43% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.