Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd Raises Holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd boosted its position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) by 6.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 34,727 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 2,087 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd's holdings in Marriott International were worth $8,272,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. FMR LLC grew its position in shares of Marriott International by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,973,897 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,945,299,000 after purchasing an additional 56,978 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Marriott International by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,026,529 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,398,321,000 after purchasing an additional 60,458 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors grew its position in shares of Marriott International by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 4,720,306 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,316,682,000 after purchasing an additional 15,923 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in shares of Marriott International by 50.8% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,661,101 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,300,168,000 after purchasing an additional 1,570,144 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its position in shares of Marriott International by 17.4% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,469,070 shares of the company's stock valued at $967,662,000 after purchasing an additional 512,963 shares in the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on MAR. Mizuho decreased their price objective on Marriott International from $293.00 to $285.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Melius Research upgraded Marriott International to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Dbs Bank upgraded Marriott International from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Marriott International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $226.00 to $303.00 in a report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Marriott International from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marriott International has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $275.90.

Insider Activity at Marriott International

In related news, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.21, for a total value of $270,210.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 20,724 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,599,832.04. This represents a 4.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Rajeev Menon sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.28, for a total value of $670,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 5,706 shares in the company, valued at $1,530,805.68. This trade represents a 30.47% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,107,710 over the last quarter. 10.68% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Shares of Marriott International stock traded up $2.56 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $280.08. 623,225 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,591,562. Marriott International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $204.55 and a 1 year high of $307.52. The stock's fifty day moving average is $260.87 and its 200 day moving average is $262.85. The firm has a market cap of $76.71 billion, a PE ratio of 31.90, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.41.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.25 by $0.07. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 100.64% and a net margin of 9.75%. The business had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.13 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect 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 was paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd were issued a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 23rd. This is a positive change from Marriott International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. Marriott International's dividend payout ratio is 30.52%.

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.