Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC Increases Holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 6.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,162 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 260 shares during the quarter. Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $1,035,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bangor Savings Bank raised its position in Marriott International by 131.1% in the 2nd quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 104 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Marriott International in the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Marriott International in the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Silvant Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Marriott International in the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Unique Wealth Strategies LLC bought a new position in Marriott International in the 2nd quarter worth about $35,000. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Macquarie restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $245.00 target price on shares of Marriott International in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Marriott International from $233.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Marriott International in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $267.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $235.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $262.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $259.00.

Marriott International Trading Down 1.1 %

NASDAQ MAR opened at $278.78 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $256.59 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $241.73. The stock has a market cap of $77.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.16, a P/E/G ratio of 5.63 and a beta of 1.58. Marriott International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $200.94 and a 12-month high of $289.04.

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

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, November 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.90%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.36%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.49, for a total transaction of $137,245.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 12,286 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,372,384.14. This trade represents a 3.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 8,332 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 owns 108,361 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,827,620.89. This represents a 7.14 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 12,108 shares of company stock valued at $3,434,439 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 12.32% of the company’s stock.

Marriott International Company 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.