Bragg Financial Advisors Inc Purchases New Stake in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Bragg Financial Advisors 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 2,010 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $561,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Granite Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in Marriott International by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Granite Investment Partners LLC now owns 2,867 shares of the company's stock worth $800,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the period. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the fourth quarter valued at about $811,000. Lansdowne Partners UK LLP increased its position in shares of Marriott International by 23.6% during the fourth quarter. Lansdowne Partners UK LLP now owns 10,402 shares of the company's stock worth $2,902,000 after acquiring an additional 1,985 shares during the last quarter. Optimize Financial Inc purchased a new position in Marriott International in the fourth quarter valued at about $646,000. Finally, Townsquare Capital LLC grew its stake in Marriott International by 86.5% during the 4th quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 13,790 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,847,000 after purchasing an additional 6,397 shares in the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marriott International Trading Up 0.7 %

MAR traded up $1.62 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $220.41. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,523,436 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,562,542. Marriott International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $204.55 and a fifty-two week high of $307.52. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $250.07 and a 200 day simple moving average of $268.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.82 billion, a PE ratio of 26.49, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.42.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.45 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.37 by $0.08. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.46% and a negative return on equity of 116.67%. Research analysts expect that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 27th were given a $0.63 dividend. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 27th. Marriott International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.29%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marriott International

In related news, 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 transaction of $4,031,458.86. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 14,282 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,971,395.74. This represents a 50.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider William P. Brown sold 12,642 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.63, for a total value of $3,610,934.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 30,919 shares in the company, valued at $8,831,393.97. This represents a 29.02 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 31,694 shares of company stock valued at $8,938,132. 10.68% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on MAR shares. Mizuho increased their target price on Marriott International from $246.00 to $293.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $308.00 to $300.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Marriott International from $285.00 to $277.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Argus lifted their price target on Marriott International from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $245.00 target price (down previously from $313.00) on shares of Marriott International in a report on Monday, April 14th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $277.00.

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.