Forsta AP Fonden Increases Stock Position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Forsta AP Fonden raised its holdings in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) by 33.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 65,600 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 16,400 shares during the period. Forsta AP Fonden's holdings in Marriott International were worth $18,298,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Jensen Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Marriott International in the third quarter valued at $793,000. BayBridge Capital Group LLC purchased a new stake in Marriott International in the third quarter valued at $1,254,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Marriott International by 0.5% in the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 566,548 shares of the company's stock valued at $140,844,000 after purchasing an additional 2,723 shares during the last quarter. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas purchased a new stake in Marriott International in the third quarter valued at $2,721,000. Finally, Kinsale Capital Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Marriott International in the third quarter valued at $3,769,000. 70.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on MAR shares. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Marriott International from $258.00 to $264.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Marriott International from $280.00 to $314.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Marriott International from $252.00 to $283.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Argus upped their price target 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. Finally, Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Marriott International from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $272.15.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marriott International news, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 8,332 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.49, for a total value of $2,370,370.68. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 108,361 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,827,620.89. The trade was a 7.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 500 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.49, for a total transaction of $137,245.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 12,286 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,372,384.14. The trade was a 3.91 % 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 ninety days. 12.32% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Marriott International Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MAR traded up $3.78 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $293.44. 204,103 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,393,563. The firm has a market cap of $81.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.70, a P/E/G ratio of 4.64 and a beta of 1.57. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $282.75 and its 200 day simple moving average is $258.45. Marriott International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $204.55 and a 1 year high of $295.45.

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

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, November 21st were paid a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.86%. Marriott International's dividend payout ratio is currently 26.36%.

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.