Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI Boosts Stock Position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI raised its holdings in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 14.5% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 1,855 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 235 shares during the quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $520,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MAR. PointState Capital LP acquired a new position in Marriott International in the third quarter valued at approximately $98,249,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 36,564.5% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 360,779 shares of the company’s stock valued at $100,636,000 after buying an additional 359,795 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in shares of Marriott International by 341.6% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 381,226 shares of the company’s stock valued at $106,339,000 after buying an additional 294,898 shares during the last quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC lifted its position in Marriott International by 629.7% in the third quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 134,973 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,554,000 after acquiring an additional 116,477 shares during the last quarter. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI boosted its stake in Marriott International by 78.5% in the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 198,812 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,425,000 after acquiring an additional 87,439 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Marriott International Stock Performance

NASDAQ:MAR opened at $271.10 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $74.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.58, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.58. Marriott International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $204.55 and a 1 year high of $307.52. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $282.47 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $268.41.

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

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, February 27th will be paid a $0.63 dividend. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 27th. Marriott International’s payout ratio is currently 30.29%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on MAR. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Marriott International from $252.00 to $283.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Marriott International from $285.00 to $277.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Marriott International from $251.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Argus increased their price target on shares of Marriott International from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $289.00 to $298.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $286.45.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marriott International news, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $278.07, for a total transaction of $4,031,458.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 14,282 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,971,395.74. The trade was a 50.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider William P. Brown sold 12,642 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.63, for a total transaction of $3,610,934.46. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 30,919 shares in the company, valued at $8,831,393.97. This represents a 29.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 31,694 shares of company stock valued at $8,938,132. 12.32% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.