Legal & General Group Plc Sells 43,567 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. $MAR

Key Points

• Legal & General Group Plc reduced its Marriott International stake by 3.0% in the fourth quarter, selling 43,567 shares and leaving it with 1,421,853 shares valued at about $441.1 million.
• Insider activity also included EVP Peggy Roe selling 3,000 shares on May 18 at an average price of $361.56, a transaction worth about $1.08 million.
• Wall Street sentiment remains mixed but constructive: Marriott has an average “Moderate Buy” rating, and analysts’ average price target stands at $381.64, while the company recently raised its quarterly dividend to $0.73 per share.

Legal & General Group Plc cut its holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) by 3.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,421,853 shares of the company's stock after selling 43,567 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc owned about 0.53% of Marriott International worth $441,116,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MAR. Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Marriott International in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Rachor Investment Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the second quarter worth $37,000. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the third quarter worth $41,000. Finally, IAG Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Marriott International by 468.8% in the third quarter. IAG Wealth Partners LLC now owns 182 shares of the company's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MAR. Morgan Stanley increased 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. Susquehanna increased their price objective on Marriott International from $280.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Sanford C. Bernstein increased 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. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Marriott International from $357.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Marriott International in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Marriott International presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $381.64.

Marriott International Price Performance

MAR opened at $369.15 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $97.34 billion, a PE ratio of 38.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.11. Marriott International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $253.55 and a 52 week high of $380.00. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $348.32 and its 200 day simple moving average is $327.66.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.72 earnings per share (EPS) 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.59 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.32 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Marriott International, Inc. will post 11.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 22nd will be issued a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. This is a boost from Marriott International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 22nd. Marriott International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.12%.

Marriott International 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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