Principal Financial Group Inc. Boosts Stock Position in Marriott International, Inc. $MAR

Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) by 1.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 246,985 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 3,640 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.09% of Marriott International worth $76,625,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. National Pension Service increased its stake in Marriott International by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 603,431 shares of the company's stock worth $157,158,000 after buying an additional 9,530 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 9.3% in the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,465,420 shares of the company's stock worth $381,654,000 after acquiring an additional 124,759 shares during the last quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the third quarter worth approximately $858,000. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ raised its stake in Marriott International by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ now owns 73,759 shares of the company's stock valued at $19,210,000 after purchasing an additional 4,067 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Investment Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in Marriott International by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 572,367 shares of the company's stock valued at $149,067,000 after purchasing an additional 14,898 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company's stock.

Marriott International Trading Down 2.1%

Marriott International stock opened at $351.53 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $342.05 and a 200 day moving average price of $319.85. Marriott International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $253.55 and a 12-month high of $380.00. The stock has a market cap of $93.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.89, a PEG ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 1.11.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.72 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.56 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.59 billion. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.72% and a negative return on equity of 85.94%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.32 EPS. 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. As a group, analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 11.68 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 26th were paid a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 26th. Marriott International's dividend payout ratio is 28.24%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on MAR. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Marriott International from $285.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Marriott International from $356.00 to $383.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $357.00 to $415.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Marriott International in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded Marriott International from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their price target for the company from $285.00 to $370.00 in a research report on Friday, January 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $373.73.

Insider Activity

In other Marriott International news, EVP Drew Pinto sold 4,000 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $359.81, for a total transaction of $1,439,240.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 8,221 shares in the company, valued at $2,957,998.01. This trade represents a 32.73% 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, insider William P. Brown sold 9,456 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $358.25, for a total transaction of $3,387,612.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 11,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,940,750. This represents a 46.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 95,540 shares of company stock worth $34,274,055. 11.43% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Marriott International News

Here are the key news stories impacting Marriott International this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and raised full-year outlook — Marriott reported adjusted EPS of $2.72 (beat) and raised its FY 2026 guidance; RevPAR rose ~4.2% globally, showing broad demand recovery. PR Newswire: Q1 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Strong operating metrics and capital returns — record development pipeline (4,100+ properties, ~618k rooms), net room growth, $0.7B buybacks in Q1 and ~$1.2B returned YTD via dividends and repurchases. PR Newswire: Q1 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts lifting targets — multiple firms raised price targets (Wells Fargo to $446, Mizuho to $384, Barclays to $376) after the quarter, signaling continued analyst upside for many. Benzinga: Analyst Revisions
• Neutral Sentiment: Brand/marketing initiatives and partnerships (e.g., Ritz‑Carlton SailGP activations) — good for luxury positioning but limited immediate earnings impact. PR Newswire: Ritz‑Carlton SailGP
• Negative Sentiment: Guidance nuance: Q2 EPS range (2.99–3.06) and FY range (11.38–11.63) sit at or slightly below consensus midpoints, which can disappoint traders expecting a cleaner beat/raise narrative. Marriott Q1 Press Release / Guidance
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and cautious takes — some commentary argues Marriott’s rally has stretched upside and macro/geopolitical risks (e.g., travel disruption headlines) could prompt profit-taking. Seeking Alpha: Valuation Concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed analyst stance — while some raised targets, others kept neutral/equal‑weight ratings (e.g., Barclays equal‑weight), leaving buying conviction uneven. Benzinga: Analyst Revisions

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.

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