Marriott International, Inc. $MAR Shares Purchased by American Century Companies Inc.

Key Points

• American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in Marriott International, acquiring 83,522 shares and boosting its total ownership by 314.1% to 110,114 shares, valued at approximately $26,229,000.
• Marriott's stock saw a 4.4% increase recently, with its share price opening at $273.82 and a market cap of $74.33 billion.
• The company announced a share repurchase program allowing for the buyback of 25 million shares, which is usually a sign that management believes the stock is undervalued.

American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) by 314.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 110,114 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 83,522 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc.'s holdings in Marriott International were worth $26,229,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MAR. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. acquired a new stake in Marriott International during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new stake in Marriott International in the first quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda acquired a new stake in Marriott International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its holdings in 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 period. Finally, Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Marriott International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 70.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Rajeev Menon sold 2,500 shares of Marriott International 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 sale, the insider directly owned 5,706 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,530,805.68. The trade was a 30.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 12,000 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction on Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.90, for a total value of $3,166,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 124,067 shares of the company's stock, valued at $32,741,281.30. The trade was a 8.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 10.68% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on the company. Mizuho dropped their price objective on Marriott International from $293.00 to $285.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Marriott International from $302.00 to $299.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $285.00 to $287.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $285.00 to $280.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, Dbs Bank raised shares of Marriott International from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marriott International presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $281.00.

Marriott International Stock Down 1.9%

NASDAQ:MAR traded down $5.22 on Monday, reaching $268.60. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,259,664 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,484,502. Marriott International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $205.40 and a 12-month high of $307.52. The firm has a market cap of $72.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.44. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $269.30 and a 200 day moving average price of $259.54.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The company reported $2.65 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $2.65. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 93.44% and a net margin of 9.60%.The company had revenue of $6.74 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.66 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.50 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter 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. Equities research analysts expect that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International declared that its board has approved a stock buyback program on Thursday, August 7th that authorizes the company to buyback 25,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 21st. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Marriott International's payout ratio is presently 30.21%.

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.