Teacher Retirement System of Texas Boosts Holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas raised its stake in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) by 376.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 71,974 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 56,876 shares during the quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas' holdings in Marriott International were worth $17,144,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MAR. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. purchased a new stake in Marriott International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 112.2% in 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 during the period. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda bought a new position in shares of Marriott International during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its holdings in Marriott International by 46.7% during the 1st quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 157 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.70% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MAR shares. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Marriott International from $295.00 to $240.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Melius Research raised shares of Marriott International to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. UBS Group dropped their target price on Marriott International from $302.00 to $299.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Dbs Bank upgraded Marriott International from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Marriott International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $226.00 to $303.00 in a report on Monday, May 12th. 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. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $275.90.

Insider Activity at Marriott International

In other Marriott International news, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 20,724 shares in the company, valued at $5,599,832.04. This represents a 4.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 12,000 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 124,067 shares of the company's stock, valued at $32,741,281.30. The trade was a 8.82% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,107,710. Company insiders own 10.68% of the company's stock.

Marriott International Stock Up 0.9%

NASDAQ MAR traded up $2.56 on Friday, reaching $280.08. The stock had a trading volume of 623,225 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,591,562. Marriott International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $204.55 and a 12-month high of $307.52. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $262.62 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $262.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $76.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.90, a P/E/G ratio of 3.45 and a beta of 1.41.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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 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%. Marriott International's revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.13 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd were given a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.96%. This is a positive change from Marriott International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. Marriott International's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.