HighPoint Advisor Group LLC Buys 5,144 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

HighPoint Advisor Group LLC boosted its holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) by 89.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,899 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 5,144 shares during the period. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC's holdings in Marriott International were worth $2,612,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. grew its stake in Marriott International by 32.9% during the first quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 295 shares of the company's stock valued at $70,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Sargent Investment Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 14.9% in the first quarter. Sargent Investment Group LLC now owns 5,922 shares of the company's stock worth $1,411,000 after purchasing an additional 767 shares during the period. Optimist Retirement Group LLC boosted its stake in Marriott International by 15.7% during the first quarter. Optimist Retirement Group LLC now owns 1,038 shares of the company's stock valued at $247,000 after buying an additional 141 shares during the period. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky increased its stake in Marriott International by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 52,054 shares of the company's stock worth $12,398,000 after acquiring an additional 550 shares during the last quarter. Finally, J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Marriott International by 53.9% during the 1st quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 6,551 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,560,000 after acquiring an additional 2,295 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company's stock.

Marriott International Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of Marriott International stock traded down $0.24 during trading on Thursday, reaching $273.28. 582,310 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,725,635. Marriott International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $204.55 and a 1 year high of $307.52. The firm has a market cap of $74.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.41. The stock's fifty day moving average is $268.53 and its 200 day moving average is $262.30.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.25 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.19 billion. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 100.64% and a net margin of 9.75%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.13 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd were given a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.98%. This is a boost from Marriott International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 23rd. Marriott International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.52%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MAR has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Truist Financial lowered their target price on shares of Marriott International from $300.00 to $273.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 30th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Marriott International from $302.00 to $299.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Melius Research raised Marriott International to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Dbs Bank upgraded Marriott International from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Marriott International in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $284.00 target price for the company. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $276.90.

Insider Activity

In other Marriott International news, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 1,000 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owned 20,724 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,599,832.04. The trade was a 4.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 12,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The stock was 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 directly owned 124,067 shares of the company's stock, valued at $32,741,281.30. This represents a 8.82% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,107,710. Corporate insiders own 10.68% of the company's stock.

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.