LifeWealth Investments LLC Acquires 2,801 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

LifeWealth Investments LLC grew its holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) by 64.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,115 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,801 shares during the period. LifeWealth Investments LLC's holdings in Marriott International were worth $1,695,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in Marriott International during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. bought a new stake in shares of Marriott International in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc boosted its position in shares of Marriott International by 112.2% in the fourth quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 104 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda bought a new stake in shares of Marriott International in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its position in shares of Marriott International by 46.7% in the first quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 157 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MAR has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Melius Research raised shares of Marriott International to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. 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. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $275.00 to $267.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Dbs Bank raised shares of Marriott International from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Truist Financial cut 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 report on Friday, May 30th. Thirteen 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 a consensus target price of $275.15.

Insider Activity at Marriott International

In related news, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 12,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.90, for a total value of $3,166,800.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 124,067 shares in the company, valued at $32,741,281.30. This represents a 8.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 1,000 shares of the company's 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 20,724 shares in the company, valued at $5,599,832.04. The trade was a 4.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 10.68% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Shares of Marriott International stock traded up $2.66 on Friday, hitting $260.19. The stock had a trading volume of 2,244,292 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,600,239. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $252.89 and a 200 day moving average of $263.69. Marriott International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $204.55 and a twelve month high of $307.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $71.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.63, a PEG ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 1.42.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.25 by $0.07. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 100.64% and a net margin of 9.75%. The company had revenue of $6.26 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.13 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. This is a boost from Marriott International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.03%. Marriott International's dividend payout ratio is presently 30.52%.

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.