Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Sells 27,764 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. reduced its stake in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) by 80.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,548 shares of the company's stock after selling 27,764 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Marriott International were worth $1,826,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Graham Capital Management L.P. boosted its stake in Marriott International by 32.4% in the 4th quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. now owns 15,900 shares of the company's stock worth $4,435,000 after buying an additional 3,889 shares during the last quarter. Ground Swell Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Marriott International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $439,000. Focus Partners Wealth raised its stake in Marriott International by 60.0% during the fourth quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 88,864 shares of the company's stock worth $25,836,000 after purchasing an additional 33,321 shares during the period. Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the 4th quarter valued at $877,000. Finally, Ethic Inc. boosted its holdings in Marriott International by 15.1% in the fourth quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 13,704 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,823,000 after acquiring an additional 1,800 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MAR has been the topic of several research reports. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Marriott International from $293.00 to $285.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Marriott International from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Marriott International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $226.00 to $303.00 in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Marriott International from $275.00 to $267.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Evercore ISI upgraded Marriott International from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $330.00 price target for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $276.60.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $278.07, for a total transaction of $4,031,458.86. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 14,282 shares in the company, valued at $3,971,395.74. This represents a 50.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider William P. Brown sold 12,642 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.63, for a total transaction of $3,610,934.46. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 30,919 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,831,393.97. The trade was a 29.02% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 32,694 shares of company stock worth $9,208,342. Corporate insiders own 10.68% of the company's stock.

Marriott International Trading Down 1.1%

NASDAQ:MAR traded down $3.08 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $270.11. 259,469 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,598,975. Marriott International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $204.55 and a 1-year high of $307.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $73.98 billion, a PE ratio of 32.48, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.39. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $239.74 and a 200 day moving average price of $266.88.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.25 by $0.07. The company 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 116.67% and a net margin of 9.46%. Marriott International's revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.13 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

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

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.