Marriott International, Inc. $MAR Shares Sold by Venture Visionary Partners LLC

Key Points

• Venture Visionary Partners LLC reduced its stake in Marriott International by 50.7%, holding 10,280 shares valued at $2.45 million after selling 10,566 shares.
• Marriott reported $2.65 EPS in its last quarterly earnings, meeting expectations, with revenue of $6.74 billion, surpassing analyst estimates of $6.66 billion.
• The company announced a share buyback program authorizing the repurchase of 25 million shares, often seen as a signal that its leadership believes the stock is undervalued.

Venture Visionary Partners LLC trimmed its position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) by 50.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,280 shares of the company's stock after selling 10,566 shares during the period. Venture Visionary Partners LLC's holdings in Marriott International were worth $2,449,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MAR. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Marriott International by 0.9% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,236,478 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,820,329,000 after acquiring an additional 184,387 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in shares of Marriott International by 16.4% in the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,427,410 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,292,809,000 after acquiring an additional 766,309 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Marriott International by 18.9% in the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,123,836 shares of the company's stock valued at $982,298,000 after acquiring an additional 654,766 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake in shares of Marriott International by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,507,144 shares of the company's stock valued at $699,345,000 after acquiring an additional 123,484 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of Marriott International by 16.3% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,333,994 shares of the company's stock valued at $651,044,000 after acquiring an additional 327,415 shares in the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Shares of MAR stock opened at $266.78 on Wednesday. The stock's 50-day moving average is $268.99 and its two-hundred day moving average is $260.36. The firm has a market cap of $72.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.08, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.44. Marriott International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $205.40 and a 1 year high of $307.52.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The company reported $2.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.65. The company had revenue of $6.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.66 billion. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 93.44% and a net margin of 9.60%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.50 earnings per share. 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, research analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International declared that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Thursday, August 7th that authorizes the company to buyback 25,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Rajeev Menon sold 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.28, for a total transaction of $670,700.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 5,706 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,530,805.68. This trade represents a 30.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 12,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 10.68% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on MAR shares. Barclays reduced their price objective on Marriott International from $283.00 to $236.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Marriott International from $275.00 to $267.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Marriott International in a report on Monday, June 23rd. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $284.00 target price on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group raised Marriott International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the company from $226.00 to $303.00 in a report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their target price on Marriott International from $300.00 to $273.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $280.89.

About Marriott International

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.

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