Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Shares Sold by Sanctuary Advisors LLC

Sanctuary Advisors LLC trimmed its position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 6.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 34,074 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,177 shares during the quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $9,968,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Marriott International by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 4,731 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,320,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the period. WBH Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Marriott International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $231,000. Monument Capital Management raised its stake in shares of Marriott International by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. Monument Capital Management now owns 853 shares of the company’s stock valued at $238,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the period. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Marriott International by 59.3% in the 4th quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 4,256 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,187,000 after acquiring an additional 1,585 shares during the period. Finally, Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Marriott International by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,289 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,196,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares during the period. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MAR shares. Argus boosted their price target on shares of Marriott International from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Marriott International from $252.00 to $283.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Marriott International from $294.00 to $301.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Marriott International from $280.00 to $314.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Marriott International from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $284.05.

Marriott International Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MAR opened at $288.42 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $80.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.17, a P/E/G ratio of 4.88 and a beta of 1.57. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $284.05 and a 200 day moving average price of $263.44. Marriott International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $204.55 and a 1-year high of $307.52.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. Sell-side analysts expect 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 Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, February 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 27th. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.36%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marriott International news, insider William P. Brown sold 1,707 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.30, for a total transaction of $485,300.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 23,077 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,560,791.10. This represents a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 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.