Cerity Partners LLC Purchases 24,666 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Cerity Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 40.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 85,255 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 24,666 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $21,194,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bangor Savings Bank boosted its holdings in Marriott International by 131.1% in the second quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 104 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Marriott International in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Marriott International during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Silvant Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Marriott International in the third quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Marriott International during the third quarter worth $33,000. Institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Marriott International Trading Up 0.3 %

MAR stock opened at $284.29 on Monday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $261.88 and its 200 day simple moving average is $243.45. Marriott International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $200.94 and a 1-year high of $289.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $79.00 billion, a PE ratio of 29.74, a PEG ratio of 5.58 and a beta of 1.58.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.26 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.31 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $6.26 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.27 billion. Marriott International had a net margin of 11.18% and a negative return on equity of 177.91%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.11 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 9.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, November 21st will be paid a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.89%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.36%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.49, for a total transaction of $137,245.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 12,286 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,372,384.14. This represents a 3.91 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Felitia Lee sold 916 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $276.48, for a total value of $253,255.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,609 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,550,776.32. This trade represents a 14.04 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 12,108 shares of company stock worth $3,434,439 in the last quarter. 12.32% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Marriott International from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. TD Cowen cut their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $295.00 to $283.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. UBS Group cut their price target on Marriott International from $267.00 to $244.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 13th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Marriott International from $268.00 to $250.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 6th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of Marriott International from $240.00 to $249.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $259.00.

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, City Express by Marriott, and St.