Bridgewater Advisors Inc. Buys 29,891 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Bridgewater Advisors Inc. grew its position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 145.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 50,472 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 29,891 shares during the quarter. Marriott International makes up approximately 1.4% of Bridgewater Advisors Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Bridgewater Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $13,319,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. BDF Gestion acquired a new stake in shares of Marriott International in the second quarter valued at about $3,013,000. CWM LLC boosted its position in shares of Marriott International by 518.7% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 47,519 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,489,000 after acquiring an additional 39,839 shares during the period. BayBridge Capital Group LLC acquired a new stake in Marriott International in the 3rd quarter worth $1,254,000. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Marriott International during the 2nd quarter worth about $3,844,000. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Marriott International by 1.9% during the second quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 39,751 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,611,000 after acquiring an additional 753 shares during the period. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MAR has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Marriott International from $238.00 to $261.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $233.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Marriott International from $235.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Macquarie reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $245.00 price objective on shares of Marriott International in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their target price on Marriott International from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $259.00.

Marriott International Trading Up 6.4 %

Shares of MAR opened at $276.26 on Thursday. Marriott International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $189.44 and a 12 month high of $277.41. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $249.39 and a 200 day simple moving average of $239.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $77.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.90, a PEG ratio of 6.21 and a beta of 1.58.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.31 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.27 billion. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 207.04% and a net margin of 11.18%. The business’s revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.11 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 9.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.