Alliancebernstein L.P. Purchases 1,129,555 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. $MAR

Key Points

• Alliancebernstein L.P. significantly increased its stake in Marriott International by 194.7% during the 1st quarter, acquiring an additional 1,129,555 shares, bringing its total holdings to approximately $407.24 million.
• Marriott recently reported a quarterly EPS of $2.65, meeting analyst expectations, with revenues of $6.74 billion, a 4.7% increase from the same quarter last year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.67 per share, contributing to an annualized yield of 1.0%, with a dividend payout ratio of 30.21%.

Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) by 194.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,709,665 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,129,555 shares during the quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned about 0.62% of Marriott International worth $407,242,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. acquired a new position in shares of Marriott International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new position in shares of Marriott International in the first quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marriott International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its position in shares of Marriott International by 46.7% in the first quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 157 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Marriott International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $52,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.70% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Marriott International

In other news, insider Rajeev Menon sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.28, for a total value of $670,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 5,706 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,530,805.68. This represents a 30.47% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 10.68% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised Marriott International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $226.00 to $303.00 in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Truist Financial increased their price target on Marriott International from $273.00 to $278.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 3rd. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Marriott International from $285.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. UBS Group reduced their price target on Marriott International from $302.00 to $299.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on Marriott International from $285.00 to $280.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marriott International currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $281.26.

Marriott International Trading Down 0.6%

NASDAQ MAR traded down $1.66 on Tuesday, hitting $266.41. 348,148 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,653,598. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $270.07 and a 200-day moving average of $257.87. Marriott International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $205.40 and a 52 week high of $307.52. The stock has a market cap of $72.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.38.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The company reported $2.65 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.65. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 93.44% and a net margin of 9.60%.The firm had revenue of $6.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.66 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.50 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Marriott International has set its FY 2025 guidance at 9.850-10.080 EPS. Q3 2025 guidance at 2.310-2.390 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Marriott International declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Thursday, August 7th that permits the company to repurchase 25,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 21st will be paid a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 21st. Marriott International's dividend payout ratio is presently 30.21%.

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.