Sowell Financial Services LLC Purchases Shares of 4,008 Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Sowell Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 4,008 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $955,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MAR. FMR LLC grew its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,973,897 shares of the company's stock worth $1,945,299,000 after purchasing an additional 56,978 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,026,529 shares of the company's stock worth $1,398,321,000 after purchasing an additional 60,458 shares during the period. Capital International Investors grew its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 4,720,306 shares of the company's stock worth $1,316,682,000 after purchasing an additional 15,923 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 50.8% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,661,101 shares of the company's stock worth $1,300,168,000 after purchasing an additional 1,570,144 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 17.4% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,469,070 shares of the company's stock worth $967,662,000 after purchasing an additional 512,963 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company's stock.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MAR opened at $257.53 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $70.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.33, a P/E/G ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 1.42. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $251.50 and its 200-day simple moving average is $264.24. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.32 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.25 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.19 billion. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 100.64% and a net margin of 9.75%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.13 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.04%. This is a positive change from Marriott International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. Marriott International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.52%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MAR has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Melius Research upgraded Marriott International to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. UBS Group decreased their price target on Marriott International from $302.00 to $299.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Marriott International from $295.00 to $240.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Marriott International from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Marriott International from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Thirteen 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marriott International currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $275.15.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marriott International

In other news, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 1,000 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.21, for a total transaction of $270,210.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 20,724 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,599,832.04. This trade represents a 4.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 12,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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. This represents a 8.82% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 10.68% of the company's stock.

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.

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