J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. Increases Holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) by 53.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 6,551 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 2,295 shares during the period. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Marriott International were worth $1,560,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Straightline Group LLC bought a new position in Marriott International during the fourth quarter worth about $495,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 11.9% in the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 13,441 shares of the company's stock worth $3,202,000 after buying an additional 1,432 shares in the last quarter. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Marriott International during the first quarter valued at approximately $2,244,000. Teacher Retirement System of Texas raised its position in shares of Marriott International by 62.2% in the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 15,098 shares of the company's stock worth $4,211,000 after buying an additional 5,788 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alpha Cubed Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marriott International during the first quarter worth about $974,000. Institutional investors own 70.70% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marriott International

In other Marriott International news, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.21, for a total value of $270,210.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 20,724 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,599,832.04. This trade represents a 4.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Rajeev Menon sold 2,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.28, for a total value of $670,700.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 5,706 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,530,805.68. This represents a 30.47% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,107,710 in the last three months. 10.68% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MAR has been the topic of a number of research reports. UBS Group lowered their price target on Marriott International from $302.00 to $299.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Truist Financial cut their target price on Marriott International from $300.00 to $273.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 30th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Marriott International from $295.00 to $240.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $245.00 price objective (down previously from $313.00) on shares of Marriott International in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Marriott International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the company from $226.00 to $303.00 in a report on Monday, May 12th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $276.90.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MAR traded down $0.63 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $272.88. 1,103,398 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,729,645. Marriott International, Inc. has a one year low of $204.55 and a one year high of $307.52. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $268.53 and a 200 day moving average of $262.30. The company has a market cap of $74.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.41.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.32 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.25 by $0.07. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.75% and a negative return on equity of 100.64%. The firm 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 business posted $2.13 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd were issued a $0.67 dividend. 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 0.98%. Marriott International's dividend 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.