Oxford Asset Management LLP Purchases Shares of 2,137 Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Oxford Asset Management LLP bought a new position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 2,137 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $596,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC raised its stake in Marriott International by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 5,554 shares of the company's stock worth $1,549,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. TFG Advisers LLC raised its position in shares of Marriott International by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. TFG Advisers LLC now owns 4,426 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,235,000 after buying an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 1.2% in the fourth 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 buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Evermay Wealth Management LLC increased 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 period. Finally, Essex Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in Marriott International by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 3,004 shares of the company's stock valued at $838,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Melius Research raised Marriott International to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Marriott International from $246.00 to $293.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. 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 note on Tuesday, February 4th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Marriott International from $285.00 to $277.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Argus lifted their price target on Marriott International from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $273.10.

Marriott International Trading Up 2.0 %

MAR stock traded up $4.94 during trading on Friday, hitting $248.89. The company had a trading volume of 560,140 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,582,395. Marriott International, Inc. has a one year low of $204.55 and a one year high of $307.52. The business has a 50-day moving average of $240.76 and a 200-day moving average of $266.77. The stock has a market cap of $68.68 billion, a PE ratio of 29.92, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.42.

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

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 27th were given a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 27th. Marriott International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.29%.

Insider Activity at Marriott International

In related news, insider William P. Brown sold 12,642 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 30,919 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,831,393.97. This represents a 29.02 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Rena Hozore Reiss sold 3,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 31,694 shares of company stock worth $8,938,132 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 10.68% of the company's stock.

Marriott International 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.