Waycross Partners LLC Acquires 4,374 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. $MAR

Key Points

• Waycross Partners acquired a new 4,374-share stake in Marriott during the third quarter, valued at approximately $1.56 million; institutional investors own 70.7% of the stock.
• Marriott beat quarterly forecasts with earnings of $3.02 per share versus $2.84 expected and revenue of $7 billion versus $6.93 billion expected. Revenue rose 8% year over year.
• Marriott declared a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share, equivalent to an annualized yield of about 0.7%, while insiders sold a combined 77,824 shares worth roughly $32.2 million over the past 90 days.

Waycross Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 4,374 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,556,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Alps Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Marriott International by 2.0% in the third quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 3,607 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,283,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Asset One Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $264,000. Alta Advisers Ltd increased its stake in shares of Marriott International by 85.8% during the 3rd quarter. Alta Advisers Ltd now owns 1,583 shares of the company's stock worth $563,000 after purchasing an additional 731 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Financial Independent Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 10.9% in the 3rd quarter. Legacy Financial Independent Advisors LLC now owns 12,078 shares of the company's stock worth $4,296,000 after purchasing an additional 1,187 shares during the period. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 23,573 shares of the company's stock worth $8,384,000 after purchasing an additional 1,255 shares during the period. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Marriott International

In other Marriott International news, insider David S. Marriott sold 3,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $352.09, for a total transaction of $1,232,315.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 282,383 shares in the company, valued at $99,424,230.47. This represents a 1.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Rena Reiss sold 4,969 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $423.32, for a total transaction of $2,103,477.08. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 38,953 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $16,489,583.96. The trade was a 11.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 77,824 shares of company stock worth $32,243,110 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 11.43% of the company's stock.

Marriott International Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MAR traded down $0.81 during trading on Friday, hitting $416.47. 1,685,415 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,487,814. Marriott International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $280.99 and a 52-week high of $433.30. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $366.29 and a 200 day moving average of $358.15. The company has a market cap of $108.60 billion, a PE ratio of 41.56, a P/E/G ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 1.15.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 2nd. The company reported $3.02 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.84 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $7 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.93 billion. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.68% and a negative return on equity of 73.98%. Marriott International's revenue for the quarter was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.47 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 12.10 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Marriott International's dividend payout ratio is 29.14%.

Marriott International News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Marriott International this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Marriott declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.73 per share, payable December 31 to shareholders of record November 19. The annualized dividend is $2.92, a modest income-return component for investors. Marriott dividend announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Recent quarterly results beat analyst estimates for earnings and revenue; a MarketBeat review noted that fee growth outpaced room revenue, supporting the view that Marriott’s performance is not solely dependent on travel demand. Marriott earnings analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Marriott is entering Laos with a Luxury Collection property, extending its international brand presence and potential fee-generating hotel network. Marriott debuts in Laos
• Positive Sentiment: Recent headlines point to bullish views from Robert W. Baird, Barclays and Goldman Sachs, while Zacks characterized MAR as a strong momentum stock. These indicate favorable analyst and trend sentiment, though the provided reports give no price targets or detailed rationale. Baird view Barclays view Goldman Sachs view Zacks momentum article
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Anthony Capuano sold 63,355 shares for about $26.6 million, reducing his direct stake by 55.47%. EVPs Rena Reiss and Benjamin Breland also sold shares. Multiple insider sales can raise investor concern, although the filings alone do not establish the executives’ reasons. CEO SEC filing Rena Reiss SEC filing Benjamin Breland SEC filing
• Negative Sentiment: Freedom Broker downgraded Marriott from “strong buy” to “hold,” tempering the otherwise positive analyst headlines. Freedom Broker ratings

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MAR has been the subject of several research reports. TD Cowen raised Marriott International to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. Truist Financial boosted their target price on Marriott International from $356.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. China Intl Cap raised Marriott International to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Marriott International in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Marriott International from $406.00 to $456.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $399.04.

About Marriott International

Marriott International is a global lodging company that manages, franchises, and licenses hotels, resorts, and other accommodations. Its portfolio spans luxury, premium, select-service, and extended-stay brands, including The Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, W Hotels, Marriott, Sheraton, Courtyard, Residence Inn, and Moxy.

The company traces its origins to a root beer stand opened by J. Willard and Alice Marriott in Washington, DC, in 1927. It entered the lodging business in the 1950s and is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland.

Marriott serves travelers in countries and territories around the world and offers the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program.

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