Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Shares Sold by Ameritas Advisory Services LLC

Ameritas Advisory Services LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) by 47.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund 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 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Straightline Group LLC purchased a new stake in Marriott International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $495,000. Markel Group Inc. boosted its position in Marriott International by 30.6% in the fourth quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 47,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $13,110,000 after buying an additional 11,000 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Marriott International by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,477,619 shares of the company's stock worth $412,167,000 after purchasing an additional 32,288 shares in the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marriott International during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $463,000. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 11.9% during the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 13,441 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,202,000 after purchasing an additional 1,432 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MAR. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Marriott International from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of 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 report on Monday, May 12th. Truist Financial lowered their price target on shares of Marriott International from $300.00 to $273.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 30th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $275.00 to $267.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Melius Research raised shares of Marriott International to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $275.90.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marriott International

In related news, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 1,000 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.21, for a total value of $270,210.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 20,724 shares in the company, valued at $5,599,832.04. The trade was a 4.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Rajeev Menon sold 2,500 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.28, for a total transaction of $670,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 5,706 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,530,805.68. This represents a 30.47% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,107,710 over the last three months. Insiders own 10.68% of the company's stock.

Marriott International Trading Up 0.9%

Marriott International stock traded up $2.56 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $280.08. 623,225 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,594,533. Marriott International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $204.55 and a fifty-two week high of $307.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.90, a PEG ratio of 3.45 and a beta of 1.41. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $262.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $262.61.

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

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd were given a dividend of $0.67 per share. This is a boost from Marriott International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 23rd. Marriott International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.