Finward Bancorp Makes New $426,000 Investment in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Finward Bancorp purchased a new position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 1,527 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $426,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MAR. FMR LLC increased its holdings in Marriott International by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,973,897 shares of the company's stock worth $1,945,299,000 after buying an additional 56,978 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Marriott International by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,026,529 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,398,321,000 after acquiring an additional 60,458 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in shares of Marriott International by 50.8% during the 4th 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. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in Marriott International by 17.4% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,469,070 shares of the company's stock valued at $967,662,000 after purchasing an additional 512,963 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in Marriott International during the fourth quarter valued at $580,922,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on MAR shares. Evercore ISI raised Marriott International from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $330.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $285.00 to $277.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Marriott International from $289.00 to $298.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Truist Financial cut their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $308.00 to $300.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Marriott International from $287.00 to $283.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $277.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marriott International news, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 14,282 shares in the company, valued at $3,971,395.74. This represents a 50.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider William P. Brown sold 12,642 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the insider now owns 30,919 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,831,393.97. This represents a 29.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 over the last quarter. 12.32% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Marriott International stock traded up $1.62 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $220.41. 1,523,436 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,563,661. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $250.07 and a 200-day moving average price of $268.24. The stock has a market cap of $60.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.42. Marriott International, Inc. has a one year low of $204.55 and a one year high of $307.52.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, February 27th were given a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.14%. Marriott International's payout ratio is 30.29%.

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.