Swiss National Bank Decreases Stake in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Swiss National Bank lessened its stake in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 720,538 shares of the company's stock after selling 8,000 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned 0.26% of Marriott International worth $179,126,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bangor Savings Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 131.1% during the 2nd quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 104 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in Marriott International during the second quarter worth $26,000. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Marriott International during the second quarter worth $28,000. Silvant Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Marriott International during the third quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Unique Wealth Strategies LLC purchased a new position in Marriott International during the second quarter worth $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $240.00 to $249.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $238.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Macquarie reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $245.00 target price on shares of Marriott International in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $258.00 to $264.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $259.00.

Marriott International Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of MAR traded up $2.67 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $281.45. The company had a trading volume of 1,733,926 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,475,613. Marriott International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $200.94 and a 1-year high of $289.04. The stock has a market cap of $78.21 billion, a PE ratio of 29.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.48 and a beta of 1.58. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $256.59 and a 200-day simple moving average of $241.82.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 business 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.11 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Marriott International, Inc. will post 9.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, November 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.90%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 21st. Marriott International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.36%.

Insider Activity at Marriott International

In other news, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 2,360 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.41, for a total transaction of $673,567.60. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 39,726 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,338,197.66. This trade represents a 5.61 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 500 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.49, for a total value of $137,245.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 12,286 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,372,384.14. This trade represents a 3.91 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 12,108 shares of company stock worth $3,434,439 in the last three months. 12.32% of the stock is owned by company 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.