Zacks Investment Management Sells 14,924 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Zacks Investment Management lessened its position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) by 12.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 100,989 shares of the company's stock after selling 14,924 shares during the quarter. Zacks Investment Management's holdings in Marriott International were worth $28,170,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 increased 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 worth $1,235,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management raised its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 1.2% during 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 buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Evermay Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Marriott International by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Evermay Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,415 shares of the company's stock worth $953,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Essex Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 3,004 shares of the company's stock worth $838,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Susan C. Schwab sold 1,054 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director now owns 4,551 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,262,811.48. This represents a 18.80 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider William P. Brown sold 12,642 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.63, for a total value of $3,610,934.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 30,919 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,831,393.97. This represents a 29.02 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 31,694 shares of company stock valued at $8,938,132. 10.68% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MAR. Jefferies Financial Group reduced 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. Mizuho lifted their target price on Marriott International from $246.00 to $293.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $294.00 to $301.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Truist Financial reduced their target price on shares of Marriott International from $308.00 to $300.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Marriott International from $285.00 to $277.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Marriott International has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $277.00.

Marriott International Price Performance

Shares of Marriott International stock traded down $6.47 on Monday, hitting $213.94. The company had a trading volume of 522,618 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,558,521. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $250.07 and a 200-day moving average of $268.51. Marriott International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $204.55 and a twelve month high of $307.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $59.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.71, a P/E/G ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.42.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.45 earnings per share 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%. Equities analysts predict 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 1.18%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 27th. Marriott International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.29%.

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.