Candriam S.C.A. Boosts Stock Position in Marriott International, Inc. $MAR

Key Points

• Candriam S.C.A. significantly increased its stake in Marriott International by 35.3% during Q1, owning 127,491 shares valued at approximately $30.37 million.
• Marriott reported earnings of $2.65 per share for the last quarter, matching analysts' estimates, with revenues of $6.74 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.67 per share, set to be paid on September 30th, and authorized a share buyback plan for up to 25 million shares.

Candriam S.C.A. raised its stake in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) by 35.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 127,491 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 33,272 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A.'s holdings in Marriott International were worth $30,369,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Marriott International by 11.9% during the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 13,441 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,202,000 after purchasing an additional 1,432 shares during the last quarter. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Marriott International in the 1st quarter worth approximately $2,244,000. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Marriott International in the 1st quarter worth $974,000. Vista Investment Partners II LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 22.5% during the 1st quarter. Vista Investment Partners II LLC now owns 7,199 shares of the company's stock worth $1,715,000 after purchasing an additional 1,322 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 5.0% during the 1st quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 27,087 shares of the company's stock worth $6,452,000 after purchasing an additional 1,301 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.70% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on MAR shares. Truist Financial cut their price objective on Marriott International from $300.00 to $273.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 30th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Marriott International from $285.00 to $287.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Dbs Bank upgraded Marriott International from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Marriott International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the company from $226.00 to $303.00 in a report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on Marriott International from $285.00 to $280.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $281.00.

Marriott International Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of NASDAQ MAR opened at $263.53 on Thursday. Marriott International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $205.40 and a twelve month high of $307.52. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $268.94 and a 200-day simple moving average of $260.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $71.54 billion, a PE ratio of 29.71, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.44.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The company reported $2.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $2.65. The firm had revenue of $6.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.66 billion. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 93.44% and a net margin of 9.60%.Marriott International's revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.50 earnings per share. 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, equities analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 1.0%. Marriott International's payout ratio is 30.21%.

Marriott International announced that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Thursday, August 7th that allows the company to buyback 25,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 12,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.90, for a total value 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 approximately $32,741,281.30. This represents a 8.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, 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 value of $670,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 5,706 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,530,805.68. This represents a 30.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 10.68% of the stock is currently 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.

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