Sentry Investment Management LLC Sells 420 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Sentry Investment Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 14.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,580 shares of the company’s stock after selling 420 shares during the period. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $720,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Marriott International by 10.8% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 379 shares of the company’s stock valued at $94,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. TFG Advisers LLC boosted its position in Marriott International by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. TFG Advisers LLC now owns 4,426 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,235,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Marriott International by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 8,698 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,162,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management raised its position in shares of Marriott International by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 3,290 shares of the company’s stock worth $918,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Evermay Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Marriott International by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Evermay Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,415 shares of the company’s stock valued at $953,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marriott International Trading Down 0.3 %

MAR opened at $276.76 on Tuesday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $283.46 and its 200 day simple moving average is $265.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.26, a P/E/G ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.57. Marriott International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $204.55 and a 12 month high of $307.52.

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

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, February 27th will be issued a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 27th. Marriott International’s payout ratio is 30.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MAR has been the topic of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Marriott International from $251.00 to $269.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $280.00 to $314.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Barclays dropped 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 report on Wednesday, February 12th. Evercore ISI raised Marriott International from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $330.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Marriott International from $252.00 to $283.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $284.05.

Insider Activity at Marriott International

In other Marriott International news, EVP Rena Hozore Reiss sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $286.65, for a total value of $1,003,275.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 24,733 shares in the company, valued at $7,089,714.45. This trade represents a 12.40 % 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, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $278.07, for a total value of $4,031,458.86. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 14,282 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,971,395.74. This represents a 50.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 12.32% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.