Principal Securities Inc. Buys 425 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Principal Securities Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 31.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,776 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 425 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc.’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $495,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Roxbury Financial LLC bought a new stake in Marriott International in the fourth quarter worth $50,000. ABC Arbitrage SA bought a new stake in Marriott International in the fourth quarter worth $293,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in Marriott International by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 5,478 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,528,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares during the last quarter. Red Cedar Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Marriott International in the fourth quarter worth $1,498,000. Finally, Campbell Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of Marriott International during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,178,000. 70.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on MAR shares. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective 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. Macquarie reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $245.00 price objective on shares of Marriott International in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $262.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $277.00 to $308.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $258.00 to $264.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Marriott International presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $284.05.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Shares of MAR opened at $277.47 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $76.50 billion, a PE ratio of 33.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.57. Marriott International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $204.55 and a fifty-two week high of $307.52. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $283.73 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $264.75.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 9.46% and a negative return on equity of 116.67%. Equities research analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 27th will be issued a $0.63 dividend. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 27th. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.29%.

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.