Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Shares Bought by Handelsbanken Fonder AB

Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) by 2.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 71,937 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,054 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB's holdings in Marriott International were worth $17,135,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Petredis Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Marriott International by 1.2% in the 1st quarter. Petredis Investment Advisors LLC now owns 16,945 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,036,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares during the period. Accurate Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Marriott International by 2.3% during the first quarter. Accurate Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,697 shares of the company's stock worth $832,000 after buying an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Marriott International by 2.7% during the 1st quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 9,161 shares of the company's stock worth $2,182,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Marriott International by 123.4% in the 1st quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 6,933 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,652,000 after acquiring an additional 3,829 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tilia Fiduciary Partners Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Tilia Fiduciary Partners Inc. now owns 9,961 shares of the company's stock worth $2,373,000 after purchasing an additional 201 shares in the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MAR shares. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Marriott International from $275.00 to $267.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Marriott International from $302.00 to $299.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $245.00 target price (down from $313.00) on shares of Marriott International in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective 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, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Marriott International from $285.00 to $277.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Thirteen investment 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 company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $275.15.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marriott International news, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 1,000 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.21, for a total value of $270,210.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 20,724 shares in the company, valued at $5,599,832.04. The trade was a 4.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 12,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at $32,741,281.30. This represents a 8.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 10.68% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Shares of MAR traded down $8.17 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $255.06. 996,540 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,784,332. Marriott International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $204.55 and a 52-week high of $307.52. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $248.75 and a two-hundred day moving average of $265.08. The company has a market cap of $69.86 billion, a PE ratio of 30.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.42.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.32 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 company had revenue of $6.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.19 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.13 earnings per share. Marriott International's quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.05%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. This is an increase from Marriott International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. Marriott International's payout ratio is currently 30.52%.

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.