Mufg Securities Americas Inc. Invests $950,000 in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Mufg Securities Americas Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 3,405 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $950,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MAR. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV grew its position in Marriott International by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV now owns 57,513 shares of the company's stock worth $16,314,000 after buying an additional 1,645 shares during the last quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. grew its position in Marriott International by 44.0% in the fourth quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. now owns 19,938 shares of the company's stock worth $5,562,000 after buying an additional 6,095 shares during the last quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC grew its position in Marriott International by 138.5% in the fourth quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC now owns 3,541 shares of the company's stock worth $988,000 after buying an additional 2,056 shares during the last quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp grew its position in Marriott International by 19.8% in the fourth quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp now owns 10,394 shares of the company's stock worth $2,899,000 after buying an additional 1,720 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Obsidian Personal Planning Solutions LLC boosted its stake in Marriott International by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Obsidian Personal Planning Solutions LLC now owns 2,019 shares of the company's stock worth $587,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.70% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.21, for a total transaction of $270,210.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 20,724 shares in the company, valued at $5,599,832.04. This represents a 4.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $278.07, for a total value of $4,031,458.86. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 14,282 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,971,395.74. The trade was a 50.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 32,694 shares of company stock worth $9,208,342. 10.68% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Shares of Marriott International stock traded up $1.76 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $273.23. 1,235,005 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,606,277. The company has a market cap of $74.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.39. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $239.16 and its 200 day simple moving average is $266.75. Marriott International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $204.55 and a 52 week high of $307.52.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.25 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.19 billion. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.46% and a negative return on equity of 116.67%. Marriott International's revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.13 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.98%. This is an increase from Marriott International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. Marriott International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.52%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $275.00 to $267.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $295.00 to $240.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $308.00 to $300.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 21st. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Marriott International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $226.00 to $303.00 in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $276.60.

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.