Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky Reduces Stock Holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky decreased its position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR - Free Report) by 10.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 51,504 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,867 shares during the quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky's holdings in Marriott International were worth $14,366,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MAR. Straightline Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marriott International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $495,000. NewEdge Wealth LLC raised its position in Marriott International by 34.4% during the fourth quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 4,345 shares of the company's stock worth $1,212,000 after acquiring an additional 1,112 shares during the period. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas purchased a new position in Marriott International during the third quarter valued at $2,721,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new stake in shares of Marriott International in the fourth quarter valued at about $2,990,000. Finally, Markel Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Marriott International by 30.6% during the 4th quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 47,000 shares of the company's stock worth $13,110,000 after purchasing an additional 11,000 shares during the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on MAR shares. Mizuho lifted their price objective on Marriott International from $246.00 to $293.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Argus boosted their price target on Marriott International from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $245.00 price objective (down previously from $313.00) on shares of Marriott International in a report on Monday, April 14th. Melius Research raised shares of Marriott International to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Marriott International from $283.00 to $236.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $273.10.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider William P. Brown sold 12,642 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider now owns 30,919 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,831,393.97. This trade represents a 29.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $278.07, for a total transaction of $4,031,458.86. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 14,282 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,971,395.74. This trade represents a 50.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 31,694 shares of company stock valued at $8,938,132. 10.68% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Shares of Marriott International stock traded down $0.06 on Friday, reaching $236.20. The company had a trading volume of 1,989,799 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,576,617. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $244.16 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $267.37. Marriott International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $204.55 and a 52-week high of $307.52. The firm has a market cap of $65.18 billion, a PE ratio of 28.39, a PEG 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 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.37 by $0.08. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 116.67% and a net margin of 9.46%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 27th were paid a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.07%. Marriott International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.