Vista Investment Partners II LLC Grows Stake in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Vista Investment Partners II LLC boosted its stake in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) by 22.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 7,199 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 1,322 shares during the quarter. Vista Investment Partners II LLC's holdings in Marriott International were worth $1,715,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MAR. Straightline Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marriott International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $495,000. NewEdge Wealth LLC increased its position in Marriott International by 34.4% in the fourth quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 4,345 shares of the company's stock worth $1,212,000 after buying an additional 1,112 shares during the last quarter. Markel Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Marriott International by 30.6% in the fourth quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 47,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $13,110,000 after buying an additional 11,000 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Marriott International by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,477,619 shares of the company's stock worth $412,167,000 after acquiring an additional 32,288 shares during the period. Finally, JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Marriott International in the 4th quarter worth about $463,000. Institutional investors own 70.70% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley cut their target price 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 report on Wednesday, May 14th. Melius Research raised shares of Marriott International to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded 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 report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on Marriott International from $283.00 to $236.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Marriott International currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $275.90.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 1,000 shares of the business'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 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 is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 12,000 shares of the firm'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 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over 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 insiders.

Marriott International Price Performance

MAR stock traded up $4.86 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $278.07. 1,515,355 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,792,866. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.67, a PEG ratio of 3.37 and a beta of 1.42. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $258.77 and a 200 day moving average price of $262.64. Marriott International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $204.55 and a 12 month high of $307.52.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last issued 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 business had revenue of $6.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.13 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 0.96%. This is a positive change from Marriott International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 23rd. 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.