MQS Management LLC Makes New $566,000 Investment in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

MQS Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 2,378 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $566,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MAR. Hughes Financial Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Marriott International during the 1st quarter valued at about $145,000. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its stake in Marriott International by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 69,289 shares of the company's stock valued at $16,505,000 after acquiring an additional 512 shares in the last quarter. Nikulski Financial Inc. lifted its stake in Marriott International by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. Nikulski Financial Inc. now owns 7,256 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,728,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC lifted its stake in Marriott International by 7.9% in the 1st quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 5,579 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,329,000 after acquiring an additional 409 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IFC Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Marriott International in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $297,000. Institutional investors own 70.70% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 12,000 shares of the company'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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 124,067 shares in the company, valued at $32,741,281.30. This represents a 8.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Rajeev Menon sold 2,500 shares of the company'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 sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,107,710 in the last ninety days. 10.68% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Marriott International Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:MAR traded down $0.65 during trading on Friday, reaching $281.65. 990,597 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,590,384. The company's 50 day moving average is $266.48 and its two-hundred day moving average is $262.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $77.14 billion, a PE ratio of 32.08, a PEG ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 1.41. Marriott International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $204.55 and a 52 week high of $307.52.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.25 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $6.26 billion during 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 company's revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.13 EPS. As a group, research 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. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd were given a dividend of $0.67 per share. This is an increase from Marriott International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 23rd. Marriott International's dividend payout ratio is currently 30.52%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Marriott International from $295.00 to $240.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Marriott International from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Truist Financial lowered their price target on Marriott International from $300.00 to $273.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 30th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Marriott International from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on Marriott International from $283.00 to $236.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $275.90.

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.