First American Bank Boosts Stake in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

First American Bank increased its stake in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 1.2% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 51,829 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 637 shares during the period. Marriott International makes up approximately 1.0% of First American Bank’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position. First American Bank’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $14,457,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in shares of Marriott International by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,024,187 shares of the company’s stock worth $254,613,000 after buying an additional 46,563 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service boosted its stake in Marriott International by 11.6% in the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 719,613 shares of the company’s stock valued at $178,896,000 after acquiring an additional 74,832 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its position in shares of Marriott International by 8.4% during the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 613,052 shares of the company’s stock worth $152,399,000 after purchasing an additional 47,551 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 566,548 shares of the company’s stock valued at $140,844,000 after purchasing an additional 2,723 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in Marriott International by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 443,103 shares of the company’s stock worth $110,156,000 after buying an additional 12,702 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on MAR. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Marriott International from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Marriott International from $294.00 to $301.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $280.00 to $314.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Susquehanna upped their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $255.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Marriott International from $252.00 to $283.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $284.05.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Susan C. Schwab sold 1,054 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $277.48, for a total transaction of $292,463.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,551 shares in the company, valued at $1,262,811.48. This trade represents a 18.80 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $278.07, for a total transaction of $4,031,458.86. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 14,282 shares in the company, valued at $3,971,395.74. This represents a 50.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 31,694 shares of company stock valued at $8,938,132 over the last 90 days. 10.07% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Marriott International Trading Down 1.8 %

Shares of MAR opened at $277.21 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $283.27 and a 200 day moving average price of $266.49. Marriott International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $204.55 and a 12-month high of $307.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $76.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.32, a P/E/G ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.57.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.45 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.37 by $0.08. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 116.67% and a net margin of 9.46%. Equities research analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 27th will be given a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.91%. Marriott International’s payout ratio is currently 30.29%.

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, City Express by Marriott, and St.