Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Sells 3,557 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board cut its stake in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) by 0.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 525,471 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,557 shares during the quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board owned approximately 0.19% of Marriott International worth $146,575,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Invst LLC raised its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 3.1% in the third quarter. Invst LLC now owns 8,258 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,053,000 after buying an additional 252 shares during the last quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the third quarter worth $373,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of Marriott International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,260,000. Optimist Retirement Group LLC lifted its holdings in Marriott International by 7.7% in the third quarter. Optimist Retirement Group LLC now owns 894 shares of the company's stock valued at $222,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the period. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC grew its holdings in Marriott International by 86.8% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 16,375 shares of the company's stock worth $4,071,000 after acquiring an additional 7,607 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.70% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on MAR. Susquehanna upped their price objective on Marriott International from $255.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Marriott International from $246.00 to $293.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target 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. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Marriott International from $294.00 to $301.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $295.00 to $226.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $273.10.

Marriott International Price Performance

Shares of Marriott International stock traded up $10.49 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $231.08. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,356,398 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,563,829. The stock has a market cap of $63.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.77, a price-to-earnings-growth 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. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $247.22 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $267.90.

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

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 dividend yield of 1.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 27th. Marriott International's payout ratio is 30.29%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 14,282 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,971,395.74. This trade represents a 50.38 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Susan C. Schwab sold 1,054 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $277.48, for a total transaction of $292,463.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,551 shares in the company, valued at $1,262,811.48. This trade represents a 18.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 31,694 shares of company stock worth $8,938,132. Company insiders own 10.68% of the company's stock.

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.