Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management Purchases 38 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management raised its position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 1.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,290 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 38 shares during the quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $918,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its position in Marriott International by 494.4% during the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 107 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the period. Silvant Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Marriott International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Marriott International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. ORG Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Marriott International by 158.5% in the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 137 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the period. Finally, Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Marriott International in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. 70.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MAR has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Marriott International from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Marriott International from $238.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $254.00 to $277.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $233.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $249.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $272.15.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marriott International news, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.49, for a total transaction of $137,245.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 12,286 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,372,384.14. This represents a 3.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 8,332 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.49, for a total transaction of $2,370,370.68. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 108,361 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,827,620.89. This trade represents a 7.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 13,815 shares of company stock valued at $3,919,739. 12.32% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Marriott International Price Performance

NASDAQ MAR opened at $288.64 on Wednesday. Marriott International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $204.55 and a 1 year high of $295.45. The firm has a market cap of $80.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.19, a PEG ratio of 4.64 and a beta of 1.57. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $282.37 and a 200-day moving average price of $257.90.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last posted 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). Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 177.91% and a net margin of 11.18%. The firm had revenue of $6.26 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.27 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.11 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Marriott International, Inc. will post 9.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, November 21st were issued a $0.63 dividend. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 21st. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.36%.

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.