Strs Ohio Invests $18.02 Million in Marriott International, Inc. $MAR

Key Points

• Strs Ohio has acquired a new stake in Marriott International, purchasing 75,652 shares valued at approximately $18 million in the first quarter, as confirmed by their SEC filing.
• Marriott recently reported quarterly earnings of $2.65 EPS, which met analysts' expectations, along with revenues of $6.74 billion, surpassing predictions.
• The company has announced a quarterly dividend of $0.67 per share, alongside a share buyback program authorizing the purchase of 25 million shares, indicating confidence in its stock value.

Strs Ohio 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 75,652 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,020,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in Marriott International by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 8,887 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,479,000 after buying an additional 218 shares during the period. Nomura Holdings Inc. raised its stake in shares of Marriott International by 44.0% in the 4th quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. now owns 19,938 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,562,000 after acquiring an additional 6,095 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 16.9% during the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 349,503 shares of the company's stock valued at $97,490,000 after acquiring an additional 50,486 shares in the last quarter. Raiffeisen Bank International AG purchased a new stake in Marriott International during the 4th quarter worth $6,550,000. Finally, Sig Brokerage LP purchased a new position in Marriott International in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,765,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marriott International news, insider Rajeev Menon sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.28, for a total value of $670,700.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 5,706 shares of the company's stock, 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 10.68% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MAR shares. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on Marriott International from $285.00 to $280.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Marriott International from $302.00 to $299.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $273.00 to $278.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 3rd. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $285.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of Marriott International in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. They set a "neutral" rating and a $284.00 target price on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marriott International currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $281.26.

Marriott International Price Performance

Shares of MAR stock traded up $2.75 on Tuesday, hitting $267.89. 1,266,377 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,647,594. The company has a market capitalization of $72.72 billion, a PE ratio of 30.20, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.38. Marriott International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $205.40 and a 1-year high of $307.52. The company's fifty day moving average is $268.71 and its 200 day moving average is $257.39.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The company reported $2.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.65. The business had revenue of $6.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.66 billion. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 93.44% and a net margin of 9.60%.The business's revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.50 EPS. Marriott International has set its FY 2025 guidance at 9.850-10.080 EPS. Q3 2025 guidance at 2.310-2.390 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback program 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. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

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

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.