Renaissance Technologies LLC Has $11.92 Million Stock Position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 368.6% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 42,716 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 33,600 shares during the quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $11,915,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MAR. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Marriott International during the fourth quarter worth about $580,922,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 50.8% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,661,101 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,300,168,000 after acquiring an additional 1,570,144 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $165,162,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in Marriott International by 17.4% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,469,070 shares of the company’s stock worth $967,662,000 after purchasing an additional 512,963 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Marriott International by 36,564.5% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 360,779 shares of the company’s stock valued at $100,636,000 after purchasing an additional 359,795 shares during the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on MAR shares. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Marriott International from $285.00 to $277.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Marriott International from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $330.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Marriott International from $289.00 to $298.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Susquehanna boosted their target price on Marriott International from $255.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Argus lifted their price objective on Marriott International from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $279.15.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $278.07, for a total value of $4,031,458.86. Following the completion of 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Rena Hozore Reiss sold 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $286.65, for a total transaction of $1,003,275.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 24,733 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,089,714.45. This represents a 12.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 31,694 shares of company stock worth $8,938,132. 12.32% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Marriott International Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of MAR opened at $222.58 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $254.81 and a 200-day moving average price of $268.96. The company has a market cap of $61.42 billion, a PE ratio of 26.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.42. Marriott International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $204.55 and a 12-month high of $307.52.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.45 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.37 by $0.08. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.46% and a negative return on equity of 116.67%. As a group, analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 27th were issued a $0.63 dividend. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.13%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 27th. Marriott International’s payout ratio is currently 30.29%.

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.