Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Position Reduced by Eastern Bank

Eastern Bank decreased its position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 1.1% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 59,459 shares of the company’s stock after selling 646 shares during the quarter. Eastern Bank’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $16,585,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MAR. LPL Financial LLC grew its position in Marriott International by 7.5% in the second quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 172,257 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,646,000 after buying an additional 12,051 shares during the last quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. grew its position in Marriott International by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 2,488 shares of the company’s stock worth $601,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. BOKF NA grew its position in Marriott International by 32.0% during the 2nd quarter. BOKF NA now owns 4,158 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,005,000 after purchasing an additional 1,007 shares in the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 83.8% during the 2nd quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 239 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale grew its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 81,220 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,634,000 after acquiring an additional 1,121 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on MAR shares. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Marriott International from $258.00 to $264.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Marriott International from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Marriott International from $249.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Macquarie reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $245.00 price objective on shares of Marriott International in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $280.00 to $314.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $269.65.

Insider Activity

In other Marriott International news, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.49, for a total value of $137,245.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 12,286 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,372,384.14. This trade represents a 3.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider William P. Brown sold 1,707 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.30, for a total transaction of $485,300.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 23,077 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,560,791.10. The trade was a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 13,815 shares of company stock valued at $3,919,739 over the last three months. 12.32% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Marriott International Trading Up 0.7 %

NASDAQ MAR traded up $1.90 on Monday, reaching $272.66. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 536,966 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,194,923. The firm has a market cap of $75.77 billion, a PE ratio of 28.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.47 and a beta of 1.57. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $281.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $254.90. Marriott International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $204.55 and a 52 week high of $295.45.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.26 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.31 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $6.26 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.27 billion. Marriott International had a net margin of 11.18% and a negative return on equity of 177.91%. The business’s revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.11 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Marriott International, Inc. will post 9.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 21st were paid a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.92%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.36%.

Marriott International Company 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.