16,709 Shares in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Purchased by Avanza Fonder AB

Avanza Fonder AB acquired a new position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 16,709 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,661,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Jensen Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Marriott International during the third quarter worth about $793,000. BayBridge Capital Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marriott International during the third quarter worth about $1,254,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 0.5% during the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 566,548 shares of the company's stock worth $140,844,000 after buying an additional 2,723 shares during the last quarter. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas purchased a new position in shares of Marriott International during the third quarter worth about $2,721,000. Finally, Kinsale Capital Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Marriott International during the third quarter worth about $3,769,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on MAR shares. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Marriott International from $252.00 to $283.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Argus lifted their price objective on Marriott International from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Marriott International from $233.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Marriott International from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Marriott International from $251.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $272.15.

Marriott International Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ MAR traded up $1.18 during trading on Friday, hitting $277.18. 1,800,667 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 994,544. Marriott International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $204.55 and a 1 year high of $295.45. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $282.53 and a 200-day moving average price of $255.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $77.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.99, a P/E/G ratio of 4.48 and a beta of 1.57.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.31 by ($0.05). Marriott International had a net margin of 11.18% and a negative return on equity of 177.91%. The company had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.27 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.11 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 9.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, November 21st were given a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.91%. Marriott International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.36%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Felitia Lee sold 916 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $276.48, for a total value of $253,255.68. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 5,609 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,550,776.32. This represents a 14.04 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 2,360 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.41, for a total transaction of $673,567.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 39,726 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,338,197.66. This trade represents a 5.61 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 13,815 shares of company stock worth $3,919,739 in the last quarter. 10.07% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Marriott International Company 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.