Baltimore Washington Financial Advisors Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Baltimore Washington Financial Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 76,875 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,394 shares during the period. Baltimore Washington Financial Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $19,111,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. National Pension Service grew its position in Marriott International by 11.6% in the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 719,613 shares of the company’s stock worth $178,896,000 after acquiring an additional 74,832 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Marriott International by 5.1% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 679,757 shares of the company’s stock worth $164,355,000 after acquiring an additional 33,149 shares during the period. First Pacific Advisors LP grew its position in Marriott International by 2.1% in the second quarter. First Pacific Advisors LP now owns 613,205 shares of the company’s stock worth $148,255,000 after acquiring an additional 12,499 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its position 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 worth $140,844,000 after acquiring an additional 2,723 shares during the period. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its stake in Marriott International by 3.0% during the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 443,103 shares of the company’s stock worth $110,156,000 after purchasing an additional 12,702 shares in the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marriott International Price Performance

NASDAQ:MAR opened at $284.29 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $79.00 billion, a PE ratio of 29.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.58 and a beta of 1.58. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $261.88 and its 200 day moving average price is $243.39. Marriott International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $200.94 and a 12 month high of $289.04.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.26 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.31 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $6.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.27 billion. Marriott International had a net margin of 11.18% and a negative return on equity of 177.91%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.11 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Marriott International, Inc. will post 9.26 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 21st. Marriott International’s payout ratio is 26.36%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 8,332 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.49, for a total transaction of $2,370,370.68. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 108,361 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $30,827,620.89. This trade represents a 7.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Felitia Lee sold 916 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $276.48, for a total value of $253,255.68. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,609 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,550,776.32. This represents a 14.04 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 12,108 shares of company stock valued at $3,434,439. 12.32% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on MAR. Truist Financial decreased their price target on Marriott International from $263.00 to $254.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Marriott International from $238.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Marriott International from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on Marriott International from $262.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on Marriott International from $267.00 to $244.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. Thirteen investment 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 company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $259.00.

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.