Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Shares Sold by Ameriprise Financial Inc.

Ameriprise Financial Inc. lessened its stake in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) by 27.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 230,507 shares of the company's stock after selling 86,780 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. owned 0.08% of Marriott International worth $64,307,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MAR. FMR LLC grew its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,973,897 shares of the company's stock worth $1,945,299,000 after acquiring an additional 56,978 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,026,529 shares of the company's stock worth $1,398,321,000 after acquiring an additional 60,458 shares during the period. Capital International Investors grew its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 4,720,306 shares of the company's stock worth $1,316,682,000 after acquiring an additional 15,923 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 50.8% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,661,101 shares of the company's stock worth $1,300,168,000 after acquiring an additional 1,570,144 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in Marriott International by 17.4% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,469,070 shares of the company's stock valued at $967,662,000 after buying an additional 512,963 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.70% of the company's stock.

Marriott International Price Performance

NASDAQ:MAR traded up $13.99 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $271.96. The stock had a trading volume of 2,551,048 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,605,977. The company has a market capitalization of $74.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.39. Marriott International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $204.55 and a 1-year high of $307.52. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $237.91 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $266.51.

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

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd will be paid a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.99%. This is an increase from Marriott International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. Marriott International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marriott International news, EVP Rena Hozore Reiss sold 3,500 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $286.65, for a total value of $1,003,275.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 24,733 shares in the company, valued at $7,089,714.45. The trade was a 12.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Susan C. Schwab sold 1,054 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $277.48, for a total value of $292,463.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 4,551 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,262,811.48. The trade was a 18.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 31,694 shares of company stock worth $8,938,132. Corporate insiders own 10.68% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MAR has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group increased their target price on Marriott International from $294.00 to $301.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Melius Research upgraded Marriott International to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Evercore ISI upgraded Marriott International from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $330.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Marriott International from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on Marriott International from $283.00 to $236.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $276.60.

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.