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

Ameritas Advisory Services LLC lessened its position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) by 47.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,656 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,473 shares during the quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Marriott International were worth $424,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MAR. Amalgamated Bank boosted its holdings in Marriott International by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 45,109 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,745,000 after acquiring an additional 303 shares during the period. Essex Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in Marriott International by 3.3% during the 1st quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 3,104 shares of the company's stock valued at $739,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Joel Isaacson & Co. LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 7.6% in the 1st quarter. Joel Isaacson & Co. LLC now owns 4,227 shares of the company's stock worth $1,007,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the period. Little House Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 19.4% in the 1st quarter. Little House Capital LLC now owns 2,526 shares of the company's stock worth $602,000 after buying an additional 410 shares during the period. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 565,530 shares of the company's stock worth $134,709,000 after buying an additional 5,143 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Marriott International

In other Marriott International news, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 12,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.90, for a total transaction of $3,166,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 124,067 shares of the company's stock, valued at $32,741,281.30. This represents a 8.82% 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 the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.28, for a total value of $670,700.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 5,706 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,530,805.68. The trade was a 30.47% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,107,710 over the last quarter. 10.68% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MAR has been the subject of several research reports. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Marriott International from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Barclays lowered their target price on Marriott International from $283.00 to $236.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Marriott International in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $284.00 price target for the company. Melius Research raised Marriott International to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Dbs Bank raised Marriott International from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $275.90.

Marriott International Price Performance

Marriott International stock traded down $1.63 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $278.40. 1,258,154 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,593,187. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $263.45 and its 200-day moving average price is $262.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.71, a P/E/G ratio of 3.45 and a beta of 1.41. Marriott International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $204.55 and a 1 year high of $307.52.

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

Marriott International Increases Dividend

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

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.