National Pension Service Purchases 16,413 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. $MAR

National Pension Service boosted its position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 593,901 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 16,413 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $162,260,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MAR. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Marriott International by 0.4% in the second quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 8,649 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,363,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. CreativeOne Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 2.1% during the first quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 1,831 shares of the company’s stock worth $436,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Marriott International by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC now owns 12,824 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,055,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Valmark Advisers Inc. grew its stake in shares of Marriott International by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 2,462 shares of the company’s stock worth $673,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Marriott International by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,387 shares of the company’s stock worth $569,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on MAR shares. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of Marriott International from $287.00 to $285.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $262.00 to $274.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $273.00 to $278.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 3rd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Marriott International from $302.00 to $296.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Marriott International in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $286.40.

Marriott International Price Performance

NASDAQ:MAR opened at $291.67 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $78.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.80, a PEG ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 1.36. Marriott International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $205.40 and a 1 year high of $307.52. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $268.14 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $266.60.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $2.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.38 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $1.73 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.46 billion. Marriott International had a net margin of 10.07% and a negative return on equity of 89.29%. Marriott International has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 2.540-2.620 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 9.980-10.060 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 20th will be issued a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 20th. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.30%.

Marriott International declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, August 7th that permits the company to buyback 25,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity at Marriott International

In other Marriott International news, EVP Rena Hozore Reiss sold 5,483 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $287.11, for a total value of $1,574,224.13. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 39,360 shares in the company, valued at $11,300,649.60. This trade represents a 12.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Deborah Marriott Harrison sold 70,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $291.63, for a total transaction of $20,414,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 175,210 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,096,492.30. The trade was a 28.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 85,799 shares of company stock worth $24,911,376 over the last quarter. 10.68% 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, City Express by Marriott, and St.