Retirement Systems of Alabama Reduces Position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Retirement Systems of Alabama lowered its position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 4.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 54,371 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,276 shares during the period. Retirement Systems of Alabama’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $12,261,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MAR. Grove Bank & Trust boosted its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 1,307 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,000 after buying an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Argus Investors Counsel Inc. increased its position in shares of Marriott International by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Argus Investors Counsel Inc. now owns 7,731 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,743,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors lifted its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors now owns 1,673 shares of the company’s stock valued at $377,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Marriott International by 72.6% in the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 126 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. Finally, Chicago Capital LLC grew its stake in Marriott International by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Chicago Capital LLC now owns 4,597 shares of the company’s stock worth $904,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marriott International Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of MAR opened at $233.86 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $67.58 billion, a PE ratio of 22.95, a P/E/G ratio of 5.27 and a beta of 1.61. Marriott International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $165.13 and a 52-week high of $260.57. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $248.01 and a 200-day simple moving average of $228.08.

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

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 22nd were paid a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 21st. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.89%. Marriott International’s payout ratio is 20.41%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MAR has been the topic of a number of research reports. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Marriott International from $250.00 to $248.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $233.00 to $263.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. UBS Group raised their price target on Marriott International from $210.00 to $259.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Barclays upped their price objective on Marriott International from $239.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 19th. Finally, Argus lifted their target price on Marriott International from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 19th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $236.69.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marriott International

In other news, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 93,323 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,188,899.04. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 20,000 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $248.48, for a total transaction of $4,969,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 93,323 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,188,899.04. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider David S. Marriott sold 2,878 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $248.94, for a total transaction of $716,449.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 596,042 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $148,378,695.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 125,003 shares of company stock valued at $30,435,493 over the last quarter. 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, and City Express by Marriott brand names, as well as operates residences, timeshares, and yachts.