NS Partners Ltd Grows Holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Key Points

• NS Partners Ltd has increased its stake in Marriott International by 0.6%, now holding 158,751 shares, which constitutes 1.7% of its investment portfolio.
• CEO Anthony Capuano recently sold 12,000 shares of Marriott stock for approximately $3.17 million, reducing his holdings by 8.82%.
• Marriott International announced a share buyback plan to repurchase 25 million shares, indicating the board's belief that the stock is undervalued.

NS Partners Ltd increased its position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) by 0.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 158,751 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 968 shares during the quarter. Marriott International comprises approximately 1.7% of NS Partners Ltd's holdings, making the stock its 17th largest position. NS Partners Ltd owned approximately 0.06% of Marriott International worth $37,814,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 8,887 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,479,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Marriott International by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 189,810 shares of the company's stock valued at $52,946,000 after purchasing an additional 3,508 shares during the period. FIL Ltd grew its stake in Marriott International by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 92,265 shares of the company's stock worth $25,736,000 after buying an additional 289 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 368.6% in the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 42,716 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,915,000 after buying an additional 33,600 shares during the last quarter. Finally, APG Asset Management N.V. increased its stake in shares of Marriott International by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. now owns 45,782 shares of the company's stock valued at $12,333,000 after buying an additional 275 shares during the period. 70.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on MAR. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $295.00 to $240.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Marriott International from $275.00 to $267.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a 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 Marriott International to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Finally, UBS Group decreased 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. Twelve 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $280.89.

Marriott International Trading Up 2.4%

Shares of MAR stock traded up $6.32 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $264.29. 480,917 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,719,228. Marriott International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $205.40 and a 1 year high of $307.52. The firm's 50-day moving average is $268.72 and its 200 day moving average is $261.13. The company has a market capitalization of $71.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.79, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.44.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The company reported $2.65 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.65. The company had revenue of $6.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.66 billion. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.60% and a negative return on equity of 93.44%. Marriott International's revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.50 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 21st will be paid a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 21st. Marriott International's dividend payout ratio is currently 30.21%.

Marriott International declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program on Thursday, August 7th that permits the company to repurchase 25,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 shares were 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Rajeev Menon sold 2,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.28, for a total value of $670,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 5,706 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,530,805.68. The trade was a 30.47% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 10.68% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.