Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Shares Sold by Ameritas Advisory Services LLC

Ameritas Advisory Services LLC lessened its stake in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,655 shares of the company’s stock after selling 47 shares during the quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $1,125,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in Marriott International by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,616,899 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,678,750,000 after buying an additional 192,652 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors raised its holdings in Marriott International by 4.7% during the first quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 3,296,879 shares of the company’s stock worth $831,836,000 after purchasing an additional 149,378 shares in the last quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC lifted its position in Marriott International by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC now owns 2,457,382 shares of the company’s stock valued at $554,164,000 after purchasing an additional 7,135 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Marriott International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $461,525,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Marriott International by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,434,785 shares of the company’s stock worth $323,558,000 after buying an additional 27,532 shares in the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on MAR. UBS Group cut their price objective on Marriott International from $267.00 to $244.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 13th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Marriott International from $240.00 to $251.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Macquarie reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $245.00 price target on shares of Marriott International in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Marriott International from $235.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Marriott International from $235.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marriott International currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $243.42.

Marriott International Price Performance

NASDAQ:MAR traded up $4.05 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $231.37. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,954,429 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,484,084. The stock has a market cap of $66.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.88, a P/E/G ratio of 4.24 and a beta of 1.60. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $232.79 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $239.31. Marriott International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $180.75 and a twelve month high of $260.57.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $2.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.49 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $6.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.47 billion. Marriott International had a net margin of 12.01% and a negative return on equity of 239.60%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.26 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Marriott International, Inc. will post 9.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 16th will be given a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.09%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 16th. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.01%.

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, and City Express by Marriott brand names, as well as operates residences, timeshares, and yachts.