Carderock Capital Management Inc. Purchases 826 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Carderock Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 48.1% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 2,544 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 826 shares during the period. Carderock Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $710,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MAR. Silvant Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Marriott International during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Marriott International in the third quarter valued at about $33,000. ORG Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 158.5% during the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 137 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC acquired a new position in Marriott International in the 2nd quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. bought a new position in Marriott International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $40,000. 70.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on MAR. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Marriott International from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Marriott International from $251.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Marriott International from $252.00 to $283.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Marriott International from $233.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $249.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marriott International presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $272.15.

Marriott International Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of MAR stock opened at $277.18 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $282.60 and a 200 day simple moving average of $255.65. The company has a market cap of $77.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.99, a P/E/G ratio of 4.48 and a beta of 1.57. Marriott International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $204.55 and a twelve month high of $295.45.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.26 earnings per share 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 analyst estimates of $6.27 billion. Marriott International had a net margin of 11.18% and a negative return on equity of 177.91%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.11 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Marriott International, Inc. will post 9.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 21st were paid a $0.63 dividend. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 21st. Marriott International’s payout ratio is 26.36%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marriott International news, insider William P. Brown sold 1,707 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.30, for a total value of $485,300.10. Following the sale, the insider now owns 23,077 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,560,791.10. The trade was a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.49, for a total value of $137,245.00. Following 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 13,815 shares of company stock worth $3,919,739 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 10.07% 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.