GF Fund Management CO. LTD. Buys New Stake in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

GF Fund Management CO. LTD. bought a new stake in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 52,667 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,691,000.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Straightline Group LLC purchased a new stake in Marriott International during the 4th quarter valued at $495,000. NewEdge Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Marriott International by 34.4% in the 4th quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 4,345 shares of the company's stock worth $1,212,000 after buying an additional 1,112 shares during the period. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new position in Marriott International in the 4th quarter worth $2,990,000. Markel Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Marriott International by 30.6% in the 4th quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 47,000 shares of the company's stock worth $13,110,000 after buying an additional 11,000 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in 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 worth $412,167,000 after buying an additional 32,288 shares during the period. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MAR has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Susquehanna upped their target price on shares of Marriott International from $255.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Marriott International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $226.00 to $303.00 in a research report on Monday, May 12th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Marriott International from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Evercore ISI raised shares of Marriott International from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $330.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $302.00 to $299.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $276.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marriott International

In other Marriott International news, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.21, for a total transaction of $270,210.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 20,724 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,599,832.04. The trade was a 4.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 10.68% of the company's stock.

Marriott International Price Performance

NASDAQ MAR traded down $1.57 on Wednesday, hitting $264.53. The stock had a trading volume of 1,338,994 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,607,258. The business's fifty day moving average price is $241.92 and its 200 day moving average price is $266.55. Marriott International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $204.55 and a 52-week high of $307.52. The stock has a market cap of $72.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.39.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.25 by $0.07. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.46% and a negative return on equity of 116.67%. The business had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.19 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.13 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

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