Sarasin & Partners LLP Purchases 2,825 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Sarasin & Partners LLP increased its holdings in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) by 23.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,069 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 2,825 shares during the quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP's holdings in Marriott International were worth $3,589,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Marriott International during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. bought a new position in Marriott International during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc increased its holdings in Marriott International by 112.2% during the 4th quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 104 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Marriott International during the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda bought a new position in Marriott International during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.70% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on MAR. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Marriott International from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Truist Financial lowered their target price on Marriott International from $300.00 to $273.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 30th. Susquehanna increased their target price on Marriott International from $255.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Marriott International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $226.00 to $303.00 in a report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $245.00 price objective (down previously from $313.00) on shares of Marriott International in a report on Monday, April 14th. Thirteen 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $275.15.

Marriott International Stock Performance

NASDAQ:MAR traded down $1.98 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $266.06. The stock had a trading volume of 1,079,317 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,601,773. Marriott International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $204.55 and a twelve month high of $307.52. The stock has a market cap of $72.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.98, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.42. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $246.72 and its 200 day simple moving average is $265.24.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 net margin of 9.46% and a negative return on equity of 116.67%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.13 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. This is an increase from Marriott International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.01%. Marriott International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.52%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 12,000 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction that occurred 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 now directly owns 124,067 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,741,281.30. The trade was a 8.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 1,000 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.21, for a total transaction of $270,210.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 20,724 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,599,832.04. The trade was a 4.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 10.68% of the company's stock.

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.