UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) by 1.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,040,365 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 16,178 shares during the quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned approximately 0.37% of Marriott International worth $290,199,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Merit Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Marriott International by 145.3% during the fourth quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 4,197 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,171,000 after acquiring an additional 2,486 shares during the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC raised its position in Marriott International by 229.4% during the 4th quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,129 shares of the company's stock valued at $873,000 after purchasing an additional 2,179 shares during the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC raised its position in Marriott International by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 5,170 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,442,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares during the last quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. raised its position in Marriott International by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 25,786 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,193,000 after purchasing an additional 614 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Perpetual Ltd bought a new position in shares of Marriott International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $212,000. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Melius Research upgraded Marriott International to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Marriott International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $226.00 to $303.00 in a report on Monday, May 12th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $302.00 to $299.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Susquehanna increased their price target on shares of Marriott International from $255.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Marriott International from $283.00 to $236.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $276.50.

Marriott International Price Performance

MAR stock traded down $2.99 on Friday, reaching $257.70. 1,270,714 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,609,410. Marriott International, Inc. has a one year low of $204.55 and a one year high of $307.52. The company has a market cap of $70.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.39. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $241.30 and a 200-day simple moving average of $266.86.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 negative return on equity of 116.67% and a net margin of 9.46%. The company's revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.13 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marriott International news, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 20,724 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,599,832.04. The trade was a 4.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Susan C. Schwab sold 1,054 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $277.48, for a total transaction of $292,463.92. Following the sale, the director now owns 4,551 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,262,811.48. This represents a 18.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 10.68% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.