ABC Arbitrage SA Makes New $293,000 Investment in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

ABC Arbitrage SA bought a new position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 1,051 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $293,000.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings 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 valued at $254,613,000 after acquiring an additional 46,563 shares in the last quarter. National Pension Service grew its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 11.6% in the 3rd 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 grew its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 8.4% in the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 613,052 shares of the company’s stock valued at $152,399,000 after acquiring an additional 47,551 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 566,548 shares of the company’s stock valued at $140,844,000 after acquiring an additional 2,723 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 443,103 shares of the company’s stock valued at $110,156,000 after acquiring an additional 12,702 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen cut their target price on shares of Marriott International from $295.00 to $283.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Marriott International from $287.00 to $283.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Marriott International from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $330.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Susquehanna raised their target price on shares of Marriott International from $255.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Marriott International from $252.00 to $283.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $284.45.

Insider Activity at Marriott International

In related news, insider William P. Brown sold 1,707 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.30, for a total value of $485,300.10. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 23,077 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,560,791.10. This trade represents a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 12.32% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Marriott International Trading Down 1.6 %

NASDAQ MAR opened at $283.52 on Friday. Marriott International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $204.55 and a 1-year high of $307.52. The company has a 50 day moving average of $284.12 and a 200-day moving average of $262.57. The company has a market cap of $78.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.66, a PEG ratio of 4.88 and a beta of 1.57.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.37 by $0.08. Marriott International had a net margin of 11.18% and a negative return on equity of 177.91%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 9.26 earnings per share 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. 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 0.89%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.