Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Shares Purchased by Jefferies Financial Group Inc.

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has increased its holdings in Marriott International by 46.8% during the first quarter, now owning 9,610 shares valued at approximately $2.29 million.
• Marriott International recently reported a quarterly earnings per share of $2.32, surpassing analyst estimates, with a revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.67, up from the previous $0.63, reflecting a positive growth strategy with a dividend yield of 1.0%.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) by 46.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,610 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,062 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Marriott International were worth $2,289,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. acquired a new stake in Marriott International in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new stake in Marriott International in the first quarter valued at $30,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda acquired a new stake in Marriott International in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 46.7% during the 1st quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 157 shares of the company's stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Marriott International from $295.00 to $240.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $300.00 to $273.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 30th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $265.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Melius Research upgraded shares of Marriott International to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, UBS Group dropped 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. Twelve 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $280.11.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marriott International

In other news, insider Rajeev Menon sold 2,500 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.28, for a total transaction of $670,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 5,706 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,530,805.68. This trade represents a 30.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 12,000 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at $32,741,281.30. This trade represents a 8.82% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,107,710 in the last three months. 10.68% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Marriott International Trading Up 0.2%

MAR stock traded up $0.59 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $259.72. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,346,005 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,453,216. The company has a market cap of $71.14 billion, a PE ratio of 29.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.44. The firm's 50-day moving average is $269.08 and its 200-day moving average is $261.85. Marriott International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $205.40 and a 12 month high of $307.52.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The company reported $2.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.65. The company had revenue of $6.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.66 billion. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.75% and a negative return on equity of 100.64%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.50 EPS. Analysts expect that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.67 per share. This is an increase from Marriott International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. Marriott International's payout ratio is 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.