Edgestream Partners L.P. Sells 18,455 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Edgestream Partners L.P. lessened its stake in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) by 55.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 14,815 shares of the company's stock after selling 18,455 shares during the quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P.'s holdings in Marriott International were worth $3,529,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. MQS Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marriott International in the 1st quarter worth about $566,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Marriott International in the 1st quarter worth about $145,000. Arizona State Retirement System increased its holdings in Marriott International by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 69,289 shares of the company's stock worth $16,505,000 after buying an additional 512 shares in the last quarter. Nikulski Financial Inc. increased its holdings in Marriott International by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. Nikulski Financial Inc. now owns 7,256 shares of the company's stock worth $1,728,000 after buying an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ballentine Partners LLC increased its holdings in Marriott International by 7.9% in the 1st quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 5,579 shares of the company's stock worth $1,329,000 after buying an additional 409 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marriott International

In other news, insider Rajeev Menon sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 approximately $1,530,805.68. This represents a 30.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.21, for a total value of $270,210.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 20,724 shares in the company, valued at $5,599,832.04. The trade was a 4.60% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,107,710 in the last quarter. 10.68% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on MAR. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Marriott International from $302.00 to $299.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Mizuho cut their price target on Marriott International from $293.00 to $285.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Marriott International from $295.00 to $240.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $245.00 price objective (down from $313.00) on shares of Marriott International in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Melius Research raised Marriott International to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Thirteen investment 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 Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ MAR traded down $2.00 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $271.60. 1,564,870 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,587,786. The company's 50 day moving average price is $268.00 and its 200 day moving average price is $262.48. Marriott International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $204.55 and a 12 month high of $307.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $74.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.38 and a beta of 1.41.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 analyst estimates of $6.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.13 EPS. Marriott International's quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd were given a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 23rd. This is an increase from Marriott International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. Marriott International's dividend payout ratio is 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.