Markel Group Inc. Increases Stock Position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Markel Group Inc. raised its stake in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) by 10.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 52,000 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 5,000 shares during the period. Markel Group Inc.'s holdings in Marriott International were worth $12,386,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Straightline Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Marriott International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $495,000. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Marriott International in the first quarter worth $2,244,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted 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 acquiring an additional 1,432 shares during the period. 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 stake in shares of Marriott International in the first quarter worth $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 Marriott International stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.21, for a total transaction of $270,210.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 20,724 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,599,832.04. The trade was a 4.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 12,000 shares of the business'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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 124,067 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,741,281.30. This represents a 8.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,107,710. 10.68% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on Marriott International from $300.00 to $273.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 30th. Dbs Bank upgraded Marriott International from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Marriott International from $275.00 to $267.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Marriott International from $295.00 to $240.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Marriott International from $265.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marriott International has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $276.90.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MAR traded up $0.98 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $272.58. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,547,025 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,588,374. The stock has a market cap of $74.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 1.41. Marriott International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $204.55 and a 12 month high of $307.52. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $268.25 and a 200-day simple moving average of $262.42.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.25 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.19 billion. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 100.64% and a net margin of 9.75%. Marriott International's quarterly revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.13 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd were given a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.98%. This is a boost from Marriott International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 23rd. Marriott International's 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.