Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Shares Purchased by National Pension Service

Key Points

• The National Pension Service increased its holdings in Marriott International by 5.5%, owning 577,488 shares valued at approximately $137.6 million as of the latest reporting period.
• Marriott International's CEO, Anthony Capuano, sold 12,000 shares for a total of $3.17 million, reducing his ownership by 8.82%.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.67 per share, which reflects an annualized dividend yield of 1.0%.

National Pension Service raised its stake in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) by 5.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 577,488 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 29,956 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service owned about 0.21% of Marriott International worth $137,558,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Marriott International by 0.3% in the first quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC now owns 12,824 shares of the company's stock worth $3,055,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the period. 4J Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Marriott International by 3.6% during the first quarter. 4J Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,224 shares of the company's stock worth $292,000 after buying an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Obsidian Personal Planning Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in Marriott International by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Obsidian Personal Planning Solutions LLC now owns 2,019 shares of the company's stock worth $587,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. boosted its holdings in Marriott International by 6.6% during the first quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 758 shares of the company's stock worth $180,000 after buying an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its holdings in Marriott International by 46.7% during the first quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 157 shares of the company's stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.70% of the company's stock.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MAR traded down $1.35 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $265.20. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,083,449 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,526,014. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $269.01 and its 200 day simple moving average is $260.70. Marriott International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $205.40 and a 12-month high of $307.52. The company has a market cap of $71.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.44.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The company reported $2.65 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.65. The company had revenue of $6.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.50 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 21st will be given a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 21st. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Marriott International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.21%.

Marriott International declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Thursday, August 7th that allows the company to repurchase 25,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MAR. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Marriott International from $265.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Marriott International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $226.00 to $303.00 in a report on Monday, May 12th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $302.00 to $299.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $283.00 to $236.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Melius Research raised shares of Marriott International to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $280.89.

Insider Transactions at Marriott International

In other Marriott International news, insider Rajeev Menon sold 2,500 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.28, for a total transaction of $670,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 5,706 shares in the company, valued at $1,530,805.68. This trade represents a 30.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 12,000 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.90, for a total transaction of $3,166,800.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 124,067 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $32,741,281.30. This represents a 8.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 10.68% of the stock is owned by company 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.