Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. Has $2.87 Million Stock Holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR – Get Rating) by 1.2% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 20,443 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 251 shares during the quarter. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $2,865,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MAR. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in Marriott International by 2.4% during the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 13,938 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,450,000 after buying an additional 330 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. boosted its holdings in Marriott International by 5.8% during the first quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 3,444 shares of the company’s stock valued at $605,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares in the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp boosted its holdings in Marriott International by 13.3% during the first quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 3,873 shares of the company’s stock valued at $682,000 after purchasing an additional 455 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. boosted its holdings in Marriott International by 12.1% during the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 43,563 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,708,000 after purchasing an additional 4,685 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. boosted its holdings in Marriott International by 64.9% during the first quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. now owns 27,406 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,816,000 after purchasing an additional 10,790 shares in the last quarter. 58.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on MAR shares. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Marriott International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $166.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Monday, January 9th. Credit Suisse Group lifted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $185.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 16th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $183.00 to $187.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 27th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Marriott International in a research note on Thursday. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, Citigroup cut shares of Marriott International from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $170.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Wednesday, December 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $180.50.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Shares of Marriott International stock opened at $161.13 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $168.78 and a two-hundred day moving average of $158.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.19, a PEG ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 1.58. Marriott International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $131.01 and a 52 week high of $195.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.51, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.45.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR – Get Rating) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 14th. The company reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.84 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $5.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.38 billion. Marriott International had a net margin of 11.35% and a return on equity of 168.43%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 33.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.30 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 7.73 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 24th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This is a positive change from Marriott International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 23rd. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.99%. Marriott International’s payout ratio is 22.04%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 5,765 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $179.18, for a total value of $1,032,972.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 20,630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,696,483.40. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other news, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 5,765 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $179.18, for a total value of $1,032,972.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 20,630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,696,483.40. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Rajeev Menon sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.17, for a total transaction of $1,057,020.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 12,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,114,040. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 22,086 shares of company stock valued at $3,860,436 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 12.21% of the company’s stock.

About Marriott International

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Marriott International, Inc engages in the operation and franchise of hotel, residential, and timeshare properties. It operates through the following geography segments: U.S. & Canada, Asia Pacific, and Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). The company was founded by J. Willard Marriott and Alice Sheets Marriott in 1927 and is headquartered in Bethesda, MD.