PFG Investments LLC Acquires New Holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

PFG Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor acquired 1,725 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $435,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MAR. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the third quarter worth $25,000. Roble Belko & Company Inc lifted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 845.5% during the first quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 104 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 93 shares during the period. ORG Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 72.6% during the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 126 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the period. Keener Financial Planning LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Marriott International during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. 70.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marriott International news, Director Eric Hippeau sold 1,400 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.19, for a total transaction of $351,666.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 72 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,085.68. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other Marriott International news, Director Eric Hippeau sold 1,400 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.19, for a total transaction of $351,666.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 72 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,085.68. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 20,000 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $248.48, for a total transaction of $4,969,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 93,323 shares in the company, valued at $23,188,899.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 125,003 shares of company stock valued at $30,435,493. Insiders own 10.07% of the company’s stock.

Marriott International Stock Down 1.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ MAR traded down $4.36 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $236.13. The company had a trading volume of 1,861,979 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,447,560. Marriott International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $165.13 and a twelve month high of $260.57. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $248.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $228.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $68.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.37 and a beta of 1.62.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $3.57 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.12 by $1.45. The firm had revenue of $6.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.20 billion. Marriott International had a net margin of 13.00% and a negative return on equity of 848.49%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.96 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 9.46 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 22nd were given a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 21st. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.88%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.41%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on MAR. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $250.00 to $248.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $234.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, March 18th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $210.00 to $259.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $205.00 to $227.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 2nd. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marriott International presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $236.69.

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