FORA Capital LLC Purchases New Stake in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

FORA Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 12,587 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,511,000.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Rena Hozore Reiss sold 3,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $286.65, for a total value of $1,003,275.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 24,733 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,089,714.45. This represents a 12.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Susan C. Schwab sold 1,054 shares of the company'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 completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 4,551 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,262,811.48. This trade represents a 18.80% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 31,694 shares of company stock valued at $8,938,132 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 10.68% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on MAR. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Marriott International from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $245.00 price objective (down previously from $313.00) on shares of Marriott International in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Melius Research raised shares of Marriott International to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Evercore ISI raised shares of Marriott International from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $330.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Argus lifted their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $276.60.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Marriott International stock traded up $13.99 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $271.96. 2,551,048 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,605,977. The company's fifty day moving average is $237.89 and its 200-day moving average is $266.44. The firm has a market cap of $74.49 billion, a PE ratio of 32.69, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.39. Marriott International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $204.55 and a 52 week high of $307.52.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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 net margin of 9.46% and a negative return on equity of 116.67%. 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 firm posted $2.13 EPS. Marriott International's revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be paid a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. This is a boost from Marriott International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. Marriott International's payout ratio is currently 28.70%.

About Marriott International

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.