Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC Buys 3,750 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) by 9.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 43,973 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,750 shares during the quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC's holdings in Marriott International were worth $12,266,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MAR. Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC increased its holdings in Marriott International by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 5,554 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,549,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. TFG Advisers LLC grew its position in shares of Marriott International by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. TFG Advisers LLC now owns 4,426 shares of the company's stock worth $1,235,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management raised its position in shares of Marriott International by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 3,290 shares of the company's stock valued at $918,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. Evermay Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Marriott International by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Evermay Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,415 shares of the company's stock worth $953,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Essex Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in Marriott International by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 3,004 shares of the company's stock valued at $838,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marriott International

In other news, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $278.07, for a total transaction of $4,031,458.86. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 14,282 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,971,395.74. This represents a 50.38 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider William P. Brown sold 12,642 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.63, for a total transaction of $3,610,934.46. Following the sale, the insider now owns 30,919 shares in the company, valued at $8,831,393.97. The trade was a 29.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 31,694 shares of company stock worth $8,938,132 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 10.68% of the company's stock.

Marriott International Stock Up 2.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ:MAR traded up $5.86 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $244.44. The stock had a trading volume of 639,697 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,584,136. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $241.42 and its 200-day simple moving average is $266.89. Marriott International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $204.55 and a 12 month high of $307.52. The company has a market cap of $67.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.29, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.42.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.37 by $0.08. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.46% and a negative return on equity of 116.67%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 27th were given a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.03%. Marriott International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.29%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. 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 report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on Marriott International from $295.00 to $226.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Melius Research upgraded Marriott International to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Marriott International from $294.00 to $301.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Argus increased 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. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Marriott International presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $273.10.

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.