KBC Group NV Has $10.45 Million Stock Position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

KBC Group NV cut its stake in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) by 12.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 43,884 shares of the company's stock after selling 6,455 shares during the period. KBC Group NV's holdings in Marriott International were worth $10,453,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. FMR LLC boosted its stake in Marriott International by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,973,897 shares of the company's stock worth $1,945,299,000 after buying an additional 56,978 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Marriott International by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,026,529 shares of the company's stock worth $1,398,321,000 after purchasing an additional 60,458 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors raised its holdings in Marriott International by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 4,720,306 shares of the company's stock worth $1,316,682,000 after purchasing an additional 15,923 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 50.8% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,661,101 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,300,168,000 after acquiring an additional 1,570,144 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 17.4% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,469,070 shares of the company's stock valued at $967,662,000 after acquiring an additional 512,963 shares in the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Marriott International from $302.00 to $299.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Marriott International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $226.00 to $303.00 in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Marriott International from $275.00 to $267.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Melius Research upgraded Marriott International to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $275.90.

Insider Activity at Marriott International

In other Marriott International news, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 12,000 shares of the business'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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 124,067 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,741,281.30. The trade was a 8.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Rajeev Menon sold 2,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.28, for a total value of $670,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 5,706 shares in the company, valued at $1,530,805.68. This represents a 30.47% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,107,710 in the last 90 days. 10.68% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Marriott International Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of NASDAQ MAR traded up $2.56 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $280.08. The stock had a trading volume of 623,225 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,591,562. The company has a market capitalization of $76.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.90, a PEG ratio of 3.45 and a beta of 1.41. Marriott International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $204.55 and a 1-year high of $307.52. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $262.62 and a 200 day moving average price of $262.71.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.19 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.13 EPS. Marriott International's revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd were given a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.96%. This is a positive change from Marriott International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. Marriott International's payout ratio is currently 30.52%.

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.