Cetera Investment Advisers Raises Stock Holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Cetera Investment Advisers raised its holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) by 16.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 70,395 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 10,158 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers' holdings in Marriott International were worth $16,768,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MAR. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 8,887 shares of the company's stock worth $2,479,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in Marriott International by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 26,592 shares of the company's stock worth $7,418,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P acquired a new position in Marriott International during the 4th quarter worth about $83,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its stake in Marriott International by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 4,763 shares of the company's stock worth $1,329,000 after acquiring an additional 307 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allianz SE acquired a new position in Marriott International during the 4th quarter worth about $1,043,000. 70.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on MAR. Mizuho reduced their price target on Marriott International from $293.00 to $285.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. UBS Group dropped their price target on Marriott International from $302.00 to $299.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Barclays dropped their price target 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on Marriott International in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $284.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Marriott International from $275.00 to $267.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $276.90.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The stock was 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 owned 20,724 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,599,832.04. This represents a 4.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 12,000 shares of the company'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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 124,067 shares of the company's stock, valued at $32,741,281.30. The trade was a 8.82% 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 over the last three months. 10.68% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Marriott International Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of NASDAQ:MAR traded down $2.32 on Tuesday, hitting $273.47. The company had a trading volume of 1,504,491 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,195,448. Marriott International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $204.55 and a 52-week high of $307.52. The business has a 50 day moving average of $268.72 and a 200 day moving average of $262.25. The company has a market cap of $74.90 billion, a PE ratio of 31.15, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.41.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last issued 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. The business had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.19 billion. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 100.64% and a net margin of 9.75%. The business's revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.13 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 23rd. This is a positive change from Marriott International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.98%. Marriott International's dividend payout ratio is currently 30.52%.

Marriott International 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.