Ameritas Advisory Services LLC Has $424,000 Position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Ameritas Advisory Services LLC decreased its holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) by 47.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,656 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,473 shares during the period. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Marriott International were worth $424,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in Marriott International by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 8,887 shares of the company's stock worth $2,479,000 after buying an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Marriott International by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,184 shares of the company's stock worth $609,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its holdings in Marriott International by 59.8% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 6,497 shares of the company's stock worth $1,812,000 after buying an additional 2,431 shares during the last quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd bought a new stake in Marriott International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $48,000. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its position in Marriott International by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 24,231 shares of the company's stock worth $6,759,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.70% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Marriott International in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. They set a "neutral" rating and a $284.00 target price for the company. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Marriott International from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. 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 research report on Monday, April 14th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Marriott International from $275.00 to $267.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on Marriott International from $283.00 to $236.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $275.90.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marriott International

In other Marriott International news, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.21, for a total value of $270,210.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 20,724 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,599,832.04. The trade was a 4.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 12,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.90, for a total value of $3,166,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 124,067 shares in the company, valued at $32,741,281.30. This trade represents a 8.82% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,107,710. Corporate insiders own 10.68% of the company's stock.

Marriott International Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of NASDAQ:MAR traded up $2.56 during trading on Friday, hitting $280.08. 623,225 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,594,533. Marriott International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $204.55 and a 52 week high of $307.52. The company has a market cap of $76.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.45 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $262.62 and a 200-day moving average price of $262.50.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.32 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.25 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.19 billion. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 100.64% and a net margin of 9.75%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.13 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd were paid a $0.67 dividend. This is a boost from Marriott International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.96%. Marriott International's payout ratio is presently 30.52%.

Marriott International 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.