First Trust Advisors LP Buys 20,517 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. $MAR

Key Points

• First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in Marriott by 11.2%, buying 20,517 shares to hold 203,871 shares worth about $53.1 million (≈0.08% of the company).
• Corporate insiders have been net sellers, disposing of 97,157 shares worth roughly $34.8 million in the last 90 days — including sales by William P. Brown and Drew Pinto — leaving insiders with 10.68% ownership.
• Analysts have raised targets (Goldman Sachs to $398, JPMorgan to $356) and the consensus is a Moderate Buy with an average target of $343.47; Marriott slightly missed EPS estimates but issued FY2026 guidance of $11.32–$11.57 and pays a $0.67 quarterly dividend (0.8% yield).

First Trust Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) by 11.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 203,871 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 20,517 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned approximately 0.08% of Marriott International worth $53,096,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Addison Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Marriott International in the second quarter worth approximately $34,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marriott International during the 2nd quarter valued at $37,000. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in Marriott International in the 3rd quarter worth $41,000. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Marriott International by 312.5% in the 3rd quarter. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC now owns 165 shares of the company's stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Marriott International during the third quarter valued at about $44,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Marriott International

In related news, insider William P. Brown sold 9,456 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $358.25, for a total value of $3,387,612.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 11,000 shares in the company, valued at $3,940,750. This trade represents a 46.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Drew Pinto sold 4,000 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $359.81, for a total transaction of $1,439,240.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 8,221 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,957,998.01. The trade was a 32.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 97,157 shares of company stock worth $34,768,825 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 10.68% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Marriott International from $323.00 to $356.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Marriott International from $355.00 to $398.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Marriott International in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Evercore lifted their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $320.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Marriott International from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $285.00 to $370.00 in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Marriott International has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $343.47.

Marriott International Stock Up 0.1%

Marriott International stock opened at $326.38 on Thursday. The company's 50-day moving average price is $330.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $298.01. The company has a market cap of $86.49 billion, a PE ratio of 34.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.09. Marriott International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $205.40 and a twelve month high of $370.00.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $2.58 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.61 by ($0.03). Marriott International had a net margin of 9.93% and a negative return on equity of 84.23%. The business had revenue of $6.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.67 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.45 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. Marriott International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.320-11.570 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 2.500-2.550 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 26th will be given a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 26th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Marriott International's payout ratio is currently 28.24%.

Marriott International Company Profile

Marriott International is a global lodging company that develops, manages and franchises a broad portfolio of hotels and related lodging facilities. Its core activities include hotel and resort management, franchise operations, property development and the provision of centralized services such as reservations, marketing and loyalty program management. The company's brand architecture spans market segments from luxury and premium to select-service and extended-stay, enabling it to serve a wide range of business and leisure travelers as well as corporate and group customers.

The company traces its roots to the hospitality business founded by J.

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