BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp Increases Position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp grew its holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) by 13.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 45,823 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 5,310 shares during the quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp's holdings in Marriott International were worth $12,782,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC lifted its holdings in Marriott International by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 5,554 shares of the company's stock worth $1,549,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. TFG Advisers LLC raised its position in shares of Marriott International by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. TFG Advisers LLC now owns 4,426 shares of the company's stock worth $1,235,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 3,290 shares of the company's stock valued at $918,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Evermay Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Marriott International by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Evermay Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,415 shares of the company's stock valued at $953,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Essex Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in Marriott International by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 3,004 shares of the company's stock worth $838,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MAR. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Marriott International from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $293.00 to $285.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Barclays dropped their price target on Marriott International from $283.00 to $236.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Dbs Bank raised Marriott International from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Melius Research raised Marriott International to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marriott International has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $276.50.

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 dated Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.21, for a total transaction of $270,210.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 10.68% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Marriott International Trading Up 3.3%

MAR stock traded up $8.42 on Tuesday, hitting $266.12. The company had a trading volume of 864,334 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,608,327. Marriott International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $204.55 and a 12-month high of $307.52. The stock has a market cap of $72.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.99, a P/E/G ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.39. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $241.50 and its 200 day simple moving average is $266.56.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.25 by $0.07. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 116.67% and a net margin of 9.46%. The firm had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.19 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.13 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.01%. This is a positive change from Marriott International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. Marriott International's payout ratio is 30.52%.

Marriott International Company 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.