Ameritas Advisory Services LLC Sells 1,473 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Ameritas Advisory Services LLC cut its position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) by 47.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the 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.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in Marriott International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. acquired a new stake in shares of Marriott International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc lifted its position in shares of Marriott International by 112.2% in the fourth quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 104 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda acquired a new stake in shares of Marriott International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marriott International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on MAR shares. Barclays dropped their price target 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. Mizuho dropped their price target on Marriott International from $293.00 to $285.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Marriott International from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on Marriott International from $300.00 to $273.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Marriott International from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marriott International has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $275.90.

Marriott International Price Performance

NASDAQ:MAR traded up $2.56 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $280.08. The company's stock had a trading volume of 623,225 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,594,533. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $262.62 and a 200-day simple moving average of $262.61. Marriott International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $204.55 and a twelve month high of $307.52. The company has a market capitalization of $76.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.90, a PEG ratio of 3.45 and a beta of 1.41.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.32 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.25 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.13 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Rajeev Menon sold 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider owned 5,706 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,530,805.68. This represents 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 link. Also, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 of the company's stock, valued at $5,599,832.04. This trade represents a 4.60% 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 quarter. 10.68% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.