Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Shares Sold by Dana Investment Advisors Inc.

Dana Investment Advisors Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 11.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 31,156 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,044 shares during the quarter. Dana Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $8,691,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MAR. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in Marriott International by 10.8% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 379 shares of the company’s stock valued at $94,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. TFG Advisers LLC raised its position in Marriott International by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. TFG Advisers LLC now owns 4,426 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,235,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 3,290 shares of the company’s stock valued at $918,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Evermay Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Marriott International by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Evermay Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,415 shares of the company’s stock worth $953,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Essex Financial Services Inc. increased its position in shares of Marriott International by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 3,004 shares of the company’s stock valued at $838,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Susan C. Schwab sold 1,054 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $277.48, for a total transaction of $292,463.92. Following the transaction, the director now owns 4,551 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,262,811.48. This represents a 18.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Rena Hozore Reiss sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $286.65, for a total value of $1,003,275.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 24,733 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,089,714.45. This trade represents a 12.40 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 31,694 shares of company stock valued at $8,938,132 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 12.32% of the company’s stock.

Marriott International Stock Up 0.1 %

MAR opened at $271.10 on Thursday. Marriott International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $204.55 and a 52 week high of $307.52. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $282.47 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $268.41. The company has a market cap of $74.74 billion, a PE ratio of 32.58, a P/E/G ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.58.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.45 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.37 by $0.08. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 116.67% and a net margin of 9.46%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.93%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.29%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on MAR shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $251.00 to $269.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Marriott International from $285.00 to $277.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Marriott International from $289.00 to $298.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Marriott International from $251.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $246.00 to $293.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $286.45.

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.