Covea Finance Has $16.89 Million Holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Covea Finance raised its holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 69.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 60,540 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 24,900 shares during the period. Covea Finance’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $16,887,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Silvant Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Marriott International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC acquired a new position in Marriott International during the second quarter valued at approximately $36,000. ORG Partners LLC lifted its stake in Marriott International by 158.5% during the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 137 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Marriott International in the 3rd quarter valued at $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MAR has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Marriott International from $252.00 to $283.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Robert W. Baird lifted 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. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $262.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. 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 research note on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on Marriott International from $249.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $269.65.

Marriott International Price Performance

Shares of Marriott International stock opened at $276.43 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $282.64 and its 200 day moving average is $255.36. Marriott International, Inc. has a one year low of $204.55 and a one year high of $295.45. The firm has a market cap of $76.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.92, a PEG ratio of 5.47 and a beta of 1.57.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.31 by ($0.05). Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 177.91% and a net margin of 11.18%. The business had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.27 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.11 earnings per share. Marriott International’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Marriott International, Inc. will post 9.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 21st were given a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.91%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.36%.

Insider Activity at Marriott International

In other Marriott International news, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 2,360 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.41, for a total transaction of $673,567.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 39,726 shares in the company, valued at $11,338,197.66. This trade represents a 5.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 13,815 shares of company stock valued at $3,919,739 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 12.32% of the company’s stock.

Marriott International 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.