Bridgewater Advisors Inc. Acquires 2,052 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Bridgewater Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) by 4.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 52,012 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,052 shares during the quarter. Marriott International makes up about 1.1% of Bridgewater Advisors Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Bridgewater Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Marriott International were worth $12,466,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MAR. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 8,887 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,479,000 after buying an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 31.4% in the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,293 shares of the company's stock valued at $361,000 after buying an additional 309 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Marriott International by 24.3% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 613 shares of the company's stock valued at $171,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of Marriott International by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 8,278 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,309,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Choate Investment Advisors lifted its position in shares of Marriott International by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Choate Investment Advisors now owns 3,575 shares of the company's stock valued at $997,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Marriott International

In other Marriott International news, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 12,000 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.90, for a total transaction of $3,166,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 124,067 shares in the company, valued at $32,741,281.30. The trade was a 8.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, 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 transaction of $270,210.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 20,724 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,599,832.04. The trade was a 4.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,107,710. Corporate insiders own 10.68% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MAR has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Dbs Bank raised shares of Marriott International from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Marriott International from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Marriott International from $275.00 to $267.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Marriott International from $265.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Melius Research raised shares of Marriott International to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $276.90.

Marriott International Stock Down 0.7%

NASDAQ:MAR traded down $2.00 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $271.60. 1,564,870 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,588,444. The business's 50-day moving average price is $268.00 and its 200 day moving average price is $262.48. The company has a market cap of $74.39 billion, a PE ratio of 30.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 1.41. Marriott International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $204.55 and a 12-month high of $307.52.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.32 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.25 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $6.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.19 billion. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.75% and a negative return on equity of 100.64%. Marriott International's revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.13 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share 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 paid a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.99%. This is a boost from Marriott International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. Marriott International's payout ratio is currently 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.