Norges Bank Acquires Shares of 2,619,166 Marriott International, Inc. $MAR

Key Points

• Norges Bank disclosed a new stake in Marriott International, buying 2,619,166 shares worth about $812.6 million in the fourth quarter and owning 0.98% of the company.
• Marriott shares were down 2.6% in Friday trading, though the stock remains near its 52-week high after a strong rally, with a market cap of about $99 billion.
• The company beat quarterly EPS estimates and raised its dividend to $0.73 per share from $0.67, while analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with a consensus target of $382.07.

Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 2,619,166 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $812,570,000. Norges Bank owned 0.98% of Marriott International as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MAR. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. bought a new stake in Marriott International in the fourth quarter worth approximately $12,518,000. Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac bought a new stake in Marriott International in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,004,000. Concord Investment Counsel Inc. grew its position in Marriott International by 29.6% in the fourth quarter. Concord Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 27,785 shares of the company's stock worth $8,620,000 after acquiring an additional 6,348 shares in the last quarter. Basepoint Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Marriott International in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC grew its position in Marriott International by 31.6% in the fourth quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 7,657 shares of the company's stock worth $2,376,000 after acquiring an additional 1,839 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.70% of the company's stock.

Marriott International Trading Down 2.6%

NASDAQ MAR opened at $375.60 on Friday. Marriott International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $253.55 and a 1 year high of $388.37. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $353.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $330.03. The company has a market cap of $99.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.11.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.72 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.56 by $0.16. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.72% and a negative return on equity of 80.97%. The firm had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.59 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.32 EPS. The business's revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. Marriott International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.380-11.630 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.990-3.060 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 11.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 22nd will be issued a $0.73 dividend. This is a boost from Marriott International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Marriott International's payout ratio is currently 30.64%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marriott International news, EVP Peggy Roe sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $361.56, for a total value of $1,084,680.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 19,827 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,168,650.12. This represents a 13.14% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 11.43% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of Marriott International from $388.00 to $386.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $343.00 to $384.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $350.00 to $356.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $357.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $356.00 to $383.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Marriott International presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $382.07.

Marriott International Company Profile

Marriott International is a global lodging company that develops, manages and franchises a broad portfolio of hotels and related lodging facilities. Its core activities include hotel and resort management, franchise operations, property development and the provision of centralized services such as reservations, marketing and loyalty program management. The company's brand architecture spans market segments from luxury and premium to select-service and extended-stay, enabling it to serve a wide range of business and leisure travelers as well as corporate and group customers.

The company traces its roots to the hospitality business founded by J.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MAR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.