Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC Increases Stock Position in Marriott International, Inc. $MAR

Key Points

• Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC increased its stake in Marriott International by 82.3%, acquiring an additional 5,454 shares, bringing their total holdings to 12,085 shares valued at approximately $2.88 million.
• Marriott International announced a stock repurchase program allowing the buyback of 25 million shares, indicating the board believes the stock is undervalued.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.67 per share to be paid on September 30th, reflecting an annual yield of 1.0% with a payout ratio of 30.21%.

Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC grew its position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) by 82.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,085 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 5,454 shares during the quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC's holdings in Marriott International were worth $2,879,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. acquired a new position in shares of Marriott International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda acquired a new position in shares of Marriott International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new position in shares of Marriott International in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marriott International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its position in Marriott International by 46.7% during the 1st quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 157 shares of the company's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of Marriott International in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. They set a "neutral" rating and a $284.00 target price on the stock. Dbs Bank raised Marriott International from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Mizuho lowered their target price on Marriott International from $293.00 to $285.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Marriott International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $226.00 to $303.00 in a report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $302.00 to $299.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $281.00.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MAR traded up $1.82 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $269.67. The stock had a trading volume of 907,333 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,460,724. The firm's fifty day moving average is $269.75 and its 200 day moving average is $259.35. Marriott International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $205.40 and a 52 week high of $307.52. The stock has a market cap of $73.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.44.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The company reported $2.65 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $2.65. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.60% and a negative return on equity of 93.44%. The company had revenue of $6.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.66 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.50 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Marriott International has set its FY 2025 guidance at 9.850-10.080 EPS. Q3 2025 guidance at 2.310-2.390 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 21st. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Marriott International's dividend payout ratio is currently 30.21%.

Marriott International announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Thursday, August 7th that permits the company to repurchase 25,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marriott International

In related news, insider Rajeev Menon sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.28, for a total transaction 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. This represents a 30.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 12,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 124,067 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,741,281.30. The trade was a 8.82% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 10.68% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.