West Wealth Group LLC Sells 3,667 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

West Wealth Group LLC lessened its stake in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) by 63.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,079 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,667 shares during the quarter. West Wealth Group LLC's holdings in Marriott International were worth $495,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Straightline Group LLC bought a new position in Marriott International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $495,000. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Marriott International in the first quarter worth $2,244,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Marriott International by 11.9% in the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 13,441 shares of the company's stock worth $3,202,000 after purchasing an additional 1,432 shares in the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its position in shares of Marriott International by 62.2% in the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 15,098 shares of the company's stock worth $4,211,000 after purchasing an additional 5,788 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alpha Cubed Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marriott International in the first quarter worth $974,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.70% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on MAR shares. Dbs Bank upgraded shares of Marriott International from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of Marriott International in a report on Monday, June 23rd. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $284.00 price objective on the stock. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $265.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $295.00 to $240.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of 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. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $276.90.

Marriott International Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MAR traded down $1.02 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $271.56. 1,294,343 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,588,182. The firm has a market capitalization of $74.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.41. Marriott International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $204.55 and a 52 week high of $307.52. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $268.54 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $262.17.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.25 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $6.26 billion during 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%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.13 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd were given a $0.67 dividend. This is an increase from Marriott International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.99%. Marriott International's payout ratio is presently 30.52%.

Marriott International Company 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.