Central Bank & Trust Co. Sells 2,854 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Central Bank & Trust Co. reduced its position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) by 63.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,630 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,854 shares during the period. Central Bank & Trust Co.'s holdings in Marriott International were worth $388,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in Marriott International by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,973,897 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,945,299,000 after purchasing an additional 56,978 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,026,529 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,398,321,000 after buying an additional 60,458 shares during the period. Capital International Investors boosted its position in Marriott International by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 4,720,306 shares of the company's stock worth $1,316,682,000 after acquiring an additional 15,923 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in Marriott International by 50.8% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,661,101 shares of the company's stock worth $1,300,168,000 after acquiring an additional 1,570,144 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 17.4% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,469,070 shares of the company's stock worth $967,662,000 after purchasing an additional 512,963 shares during the period. 70.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marriott International

In other news, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.21, for a total value 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. This represents a 4.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 12,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 now owns 124,067 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $32,741,281.30. This represents a 8.82% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 10.68% of the company's stock.

Marriott International Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MAR traded up $0.30 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $265.93. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,207,501 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,601,563. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $245.38 and its 200-day simple moving average is $265.35. The company has a market capitalization of $72.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.96, a P/E/G ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.42. Marriott International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $204.55 and a fifty-two week high of $307.52.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.13 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MAR has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Marriott International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $226.00 to $303.00 in a report on Monday, May 12th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Marriott International from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Marriott International from $275.00 to $267.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Marriott International from $295.00 to $240.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Mizuho cut their price objective on Marriott International from $293.00 to $285.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Marriott International presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $275.15.

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.