Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Shares Sold by Victory Capital Management Inc.

Victory Capital Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 0.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 214,318 shares of the company’s stock after selling 717 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $59,782,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 10.8% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 379 shares of the company’s stock worth $94,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. TFG Advisers LLC increased its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. TFG Advisers LLC now owns 4,426 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,235,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management increased its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 1.2% in the 4th 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 period. Evermay Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Evermay Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,415 shares of the company’s stock worth $953,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. Finally, Essex Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 3,004 shares of the company’s stock worth $838,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the period. 70.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MAR has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $294.00 to $301.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Marriott International from $251.00 to $269.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Evercore ISI raised shares of Marriott International from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $330.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Marriott International from $289.00 to $298.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Marriott International from $251.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. 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 stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $286.45.

Marriott International Price Performance

Shares of MAR opened at $262.75 on Friday. Marriott International, Inc. has a one year low of $204.55 and a one year high of $307.52. The company has a 50-day moving average of $281.57 and a two-hundred day moving average of $268.64. The stock has a market cap of $72.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.58, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.58.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.45 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.37 by $0.08. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.46% and a negative return on equity of 116.67%. Analysts anticipate that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current 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 issued a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.96%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 27th. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.29%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider William P. Brown sold 12,642 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.63, for a total transaction of $3,610,934.46. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 30,919 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,831,393.97. This trade represents a 29.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of the firm’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 transaction of $4,031,458.86. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 14,282 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,971,395.74. This represents a 50.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 31,694 shares of company stock worth $8,938,132. 12.32% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.