Marriott International, Inc. $MAR Position Lessened by Family Office Research LLC

Key Points

• Family Office Research LLC reduced its stake in Marriott International by 4.0%, now holding approximately 207,578 shares worth about $49.4 million, making it the firm's largest holding.
• Several hedge funds increased their positions in Marriott, with Sequoia Financial Advisors growing its stake by 11.9% and Vista Investment Partners boosting theirs by 22.5% during the first quarter.
• Marriott International announced a $0.67 quarterly dividend and initiated a buyback program of up to 25 million shares as part of its strategy to manage capital and potentially signal undervalued shares.

Family Office Research LLC cut its stake in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) by 4.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 207,578 shares of the company's stock after selling 8,699 shares during the period. Marriott International comprises approximately 24.1% of Family Office Research LLC's portfolio, making the stock its largest position. Family Office Research LLC owned approximately 0.08% of Marriott International worth $49,445,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in Marriott International by 11.9% in the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 13,441 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,202,000 after acquiring an additional 1,432 shares during the last quarter. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Marriott International in the first quarter valued at $2,244,000. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Marriott International in the first quarter valued at $974,000. Vista Investment Partners II LLC lifted its position in Marriott International by 22.5% in the first quarter. Vista Investment Partners II LLC now owns 7,199 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,715,000 after acquiring an additional 1,322 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lifted its position in Marriott International by 5.0% in the first quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 27,087 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,452,000 after acquiring an additional 1,301 shares during the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on MAR. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Marriott International from $285.00 to $287.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of 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 research note on Monday, May 12th. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Marriott International from $302.00 to $299.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on shares of Marriott International from $285.00 to $280.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of Marriott International from $273.00 to $278.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $281.26.

Insider Activity at Marriott International

In other news, insider Rajeev Menon sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider directly owned 5,706 shares in the company, valued at $1,530,805.68. This represents a 30.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 10.68% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Marriott International Stock Performance

MAR traded down $4.15 on Friday, hitting $264.70. 1,378,627 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,092,052. The business's fifty day moving average is $270.18 and its 200 day moving average is $258.34. Marriott International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $205.40 and a fifty-two week high of $307.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $71.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.38.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The company reported $2.65 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate 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 business posted $2.50 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Marriott International has set its FY 2025 guidance at 9.850-10.080 EPS. Q3 2025 guidance at 2.310-2.390 EPS. Analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

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

Marriott International announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, August 7th that allows the company to repurchase 25,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

About Marriott International

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.