Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Acquires 36,380 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. $MAR

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group increased its Marriott International stake by 183.7% in the fourth quarter, buying 36,380 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 56,180 shares valued at about $17.4 million.
• Wall Street sentiment remains constructive, with several analysts raising price targets and Marriott maintaining an overall “Moderate Buy” consensus rating, supported by strong earnings outlook revisions from Zacks for future years.
• Marriott continues to expand and reward shareholders through new hotel signings and openings in India, while also boosting its quarterly dividend to $0.73 per share from $0.67.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) by 183.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 56,180 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 36,380 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Marriott International were worth $17,429,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Triumph Capital Management bought a new stake in Marriott International during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Rachor Investment Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marriott International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marriott International in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marriott International in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, IAG Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Marriott International by 468.8% in the 3rd quarter. IAG Wealth Partners LLC now owns 182 shares of the company's stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.70% of the company's stock.

Key Marriott International News

Here are the key news stories impacting Marriott International this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its earnings outlook for multiple future periods, including FY2026, FY2027, FY2028 and several quarterly estimates, signaling confidence in Marriott’s long-term profitability and growth trajectory.
• Positive Sentiment: The firm also lifted estimates for Q1 2027, Q3 2027 and Q4 2027, reinforcing the view that earnings momentum could remain strong beyond the near term.
• Positive Sentiment: Marriott announced 75 signings and 50 openings for Series by Marriott in India with The Fern Hotels & Resorts, adding more than 3,556 rooms and highlighting strong owner demand and international expansion. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Additional headlines pointed to improving hotel demand in Asia-Pacific and a new all-inclusive resort project in Riviera Maya, both of which suggest healthy travel demand and ongoing development activity.
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks trimmed a few near-term estimates, including Q2 2026, Q3 2026, Q4 2026 and Q2 2027, but the changes were modest and were outweighed by the upward revisions to later periods.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Truist Financial raised their price objective on Marriott International from $283.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on Marriott International from $400.00 to $402.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Marriott International from $350.00 to $353.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Marriott International to $446.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Marriott International in a report on Monday, May 11th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $381.64.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Peggy Roe sold 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $361.56, for a total transaction of $1,084,680.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 19,827 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,168,650.12. This trade represents a 13.14% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 11.43% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Marriott International Price Performance

MAR stock opened at $369.15 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $347.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $326.98. Marriott International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $253.55 and a fifty-two week high of $380.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $97.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.11.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.72 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.56 by $0.16. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 80.97% and a net margin of 9.72%.The firm had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.59 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.32 EPS. The business's revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. Marriott International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.380-11.630 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.990-3.060 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Marriott International, Inc. will post 11.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. This is a positive change from Marriott International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. Marriott International's payout ratio is 28.12%.

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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