Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Shares Purchased by GF Fund Management CO. LTD.

GF Fund Management CO. LTD. boosted its stake in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) by 2.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 54,004 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 1,337 shares during the period. GF Fund Management CO. LTD.'s holdings in Marriott International were worth $12,864,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Straightline Group LLC purchased a new stake in Marriott International in the fourth quarter valued at $495,000. Markel Group Inc. raised its position in Marriott International by 30.6% in the fourth quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 47,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $13,110,000 after purchasing an additional 11,000 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,477,619 shares of the company's stock valued at $412,167,000 after buying an additional 32,288 shares during the period. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marriott International in the 4th quarter valued at $463,000. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 11.9% in the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 13,441 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,202,000 after buying an additional 1,432 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.70% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Marriott International in a report on Monday, June 23rd. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $284.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays cut their price objective on Marriott International from $283.00 to $236.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Truist Financial cut their price target on Marriott International from $300.00 to $273.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 30th. UBS Group cut their price target on Marriott International from $302.00 to $299.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, Melius Research upgraded shares of Marriott International to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $275.90.

Insider Activity at Marriott International

In other news, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 20,724 shares in the company, valued at $5,599,832.04. This trade represents a 4.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 12,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.90, for a total value of $3,166,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 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. Insiders sold 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,107,710 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 10.68% of the company's stock.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Marriott International stock traded up $2.56 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $280.08. 623,225 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,591,562. Marriott International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $204.55 and a twelve month high of $307.52. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $262.62 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $262.71. The firm has a market cap of $76.71 billion, a PE ratio of 31.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.45 and a beta of 1.41.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.32 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.25 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $6.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.19 billion. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 100.64% and a net margin of 9.75%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.13 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd were issued a $0.67 dividend. This is a boost from Marriott International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.96%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 23rd. Marriott International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.52%.

Marriott International Company 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.