Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Shares Acquired by Kovack Advisors Inc.

Kovack Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 13.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,130 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 258 shares during the quarter. Kovack Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $594,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MAR. Jensen Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in Marriott International in the third quarter worth $793,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Marriott International by 0.5% in the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 566,548 shares of the company’s stock worth $140,844,000 after purchasing an additional 2,723 shares during the period. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas acquired a new position in Marriott International in the third quarter worth $2,721,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in Marriott International in the fourth quarter worth $2,990,000. Finally, Kinsale Capital Group Inc. acquired a new position in Marriott International in the third quarter worth $3,769,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Marriott International Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of Marriott International stock opened at $280.45 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $283.20 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $266.94. Marriott International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $204.55 and a 52 week high of $307.52. The stock has a market cap of $77.32 billion, a PE ratio of 33.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.57.

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 negative return on equity of 116.67% and a net margin of 9.46%. On average, equities analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The business 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 $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.90%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.29%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marriott International news, insider William P. Brown sold 12,642 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.63, for a total transaction of $3,610,934.46. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 30,919 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,831,393.97. The trade was a 29.02 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Rena Hozore Reiss sold 3,500 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $286.65, for a total value of $1,003,275.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 24,733 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,089,714.45. This trade represents a 12.40 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 31,694 shares of company stock valued at $8,938,132. 10.07% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MAR has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Marriott International from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Barclays cut their target price on Marriott International from $287.00 to $283.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Argus raised their target price on 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 raised 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. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $246.00 to $293.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marriott International has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $284.05.

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.