Boothbay Fund Management LLC Buys 8,364 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Boothbay Fund Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) by 19.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 52,150 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 8,364 shares during the quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC's holdings in Marriott International were worth $14,547,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 56,978 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 60,458 shares during the period. Capital International Investors lifted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 15,923 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 1,570,144 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in Marriott International by 17.4% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,469,070 shares of the company's stock worth $967,662,000 after buying an additional 512,963 shares during the period. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marriott International Trading Up 2.5 %

Marriott International stock traded up $5.98 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $244.56. The stock had a trading volume of 703,120 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,909,165. The firm's fifty day moving average is $241.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $266.89. The company has a market capitalization of $67.49 billion, a PE ratio of 29.40, a P/E/G ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.42. 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 earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.37 by $0.08. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.46% and a negative return on equity of 116.67%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 27th were issued a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 27th. Marriott International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MAR has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Marriott International from $285.00 to $277.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Evercore ISI upgraded Marriott International from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $330.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on Marriott International from $295.00 to $226.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Melius Research upgraded Marriott International to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Susquehanna raised their target price on Marriott International from $255.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $273.10.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marriott International

In other news, EVP Rena Hozore Reiss sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $286.65, for a total transaction 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 approximately $7,089,714.45. This represents a 12.40 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Susan C. Schwab sold 1,054 shares of the 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 transaction, the director now owns 4,551 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,262,811.48. This represents a 18.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 31,694 shares of company stock valued at $8,938,132 in the last three months. 10.68% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.