Kestra Advisory Services LLC Trims Holdings in Marriott International, Inc. $MAR

Key Points

• Kestra Advisory Services LLC has reduced its stake in Marriott International by 4.0%, selling 1,106 shares, leaving them with 26,736 shares valued at approximately $6.37 million.
• Marriott reported Q2 earnings of $2.65 per share, matching analyst expectations, and its revenue increased by 4.7% year-over-year to $6.74 billion.
• The company has announced a significant stock buyback plan allowing the repurchase of up to 25 million shares, indicating management's belief that the stock is undervalued.

Kestra Advisory Services LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) by 4.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 26,736 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,106 shares during the period. Kestra Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Marriott International were worth $6,369,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its position in shares of Marriott International by 3.9% in the first quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 239,480 shares of the company's stock valued at $57,044,000 after buying an additional 8,973 shares during the last quarter. Bragg Financial Advisors Inc raised its position in shares of Marriott International by 42.6% in the first quarter. Bragg Financial Advisors Inc now owns 2,867 shares of the company's stock valued at $683,000 after buying an additional 857 shares during the last quarter. Norinchukin Bank The raised its position in shares of Marriott International by 49.8% in the first quarter. Norinchukin Bank The now owns 17,321 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,126,000 after buying an additional 5,762 shares during the last quarter. CW Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Marriott International by 16.0% in the first quarter. CW Advisors LLC now owns 6,558 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,563,000 after buying an additional 906 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Summit Financial LLC raised its position in shares of Marriott International by 6.3% in the first quarter. Summit Financial LLC now owns 6,129 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,460,000 after buying an additional 364 shares during the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MAR has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Dbs Bank upgraded shares of Marriott International from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $285.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $293.00 to $285.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. UBS Group cut their price objective 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. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $285.00 to $280.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Marriott International has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $281.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Rajeev Menon sold 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.28, for a total transaction of $670,700.00. Following the transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 12,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.90, for a total transaction of $3,166,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 124,067 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,741,281.30. This trade represents a 8.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 10.68% of the company's stock.

Marriott International Trading Up 0.2%

MAR stock traded up $0.58 on Thursday, hitting $270.25. The company's stock had a trading volume of 970,158 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,441,072. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $270.24 and a two-hundred day moving average of $259.19. Marriott International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $205.40 and a 1 year high of $307.52. The stock has a market cap of $73.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.44.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The company reported $2.65 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.65. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.60% and a negative return on equity of 93.44%. The firm had revenue of $6.74 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.66 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.50 EPS. Marriott International's revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Marriott International has set its FY 2025 guidance at 9.850-10.080 EPS. Q3 2025 guidance at 2.310-2.390 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 21st will be given a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 21st. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Marriott International's dividend payout ratio is presently 30.21%.

Marriott International announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Thursday, August 7th that allows the company to repurchase 25,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Marriott International Company 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.