Hanson & Doremus Investment Management Boosts Holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Hanson & Doremus Investment Management increased its holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 1,935.5% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 631 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 600 shares during the quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $176,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in Marriott International by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,024,187 shares of the company’s stock worth $254,613,000 after acquiring an additional 46,563 shares during the period. National Pension Service raised its stake in Marriott International by 11.6% during the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 719,613 shares of the company’s stock worth $178,896,000 after acquiring an additional 74,832 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its stake in Marriott International by 8.4% during the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 613,052 shares of the company’s stock worth $152,399,000 after acquiring an additional 47,551 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its stake in Marriott International by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 566,548 shares of the company’s stock worth $140,844,000 after acquiring an additional 2,723 shares during the period. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in Marriott International by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 443,103 shares of the company’s stock worth $110,156,000 after acquiring an additional 12,702 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on MAR shares. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on shares of Marriott International from $262.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $251.00 to $269.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $258.00 to $264.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Macquarie reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $245.00 price objective on shares of Marriott International in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $272.15.

Marriott International Stock Up 1.0 %

NASDAQ MAR opened at $292.54 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $282.75 and a two-hundred day moving average of $258.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $81.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.60, a PEG ratio of 4.64 and a beta of 1.57. Marriott International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $204.55 and a 52 week high of $295.45.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last issued its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.31 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.27 billion. Marriott International had a net margin of 11.18% and a negative return on equity of 177.91%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.11 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Marriott International, Inc. will post 9.25 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced 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. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 21st. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.36%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 500 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.49, for a total value of $137,245.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 12,286 shares in the company, valued at $3,372,384.14. The trade was a 3.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider William P. Brown sold 1,707 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.30, for a total value of $485,300.10. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 23,077 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 13,815 shares of company stock valued at $3,919,739. 12.32% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Marriott International

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.