Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. Sells 1,003 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. reduced its stake in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 2.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 36,922 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,003 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $8,795,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MAR. Straightline Group LLC acquired a new position in Marriott International in the fourth quarter valued at about $495,000. NewEdge Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Marriott International by 34.4% in the 4th quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 4,345 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,212,000 after purchasing an additional 1,112 shares during the period. Markel Group Inc. increased its stake in Marriott International by 30.6% during the 4th quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 47,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,110,000 after purchasing an additional 11,000 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Marriott International by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,477,619 shares of the company’s stock worth $412,167,000 after buying an additional 32,288 shares during the period. Finally, JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marriott International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $463,000. 70.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marriott International

In other news, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 12,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.90, for a total transaction of $3,166,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 124,067 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,741,281.30. This trade represents a 8.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.21, for a total value of $270,210.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 20,724 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,599,832.04. This trade represents a 4.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,107,710 in the last quarter. 10.68% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on MAR. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $295.00 to $240.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Marriott International from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Dbs Bank raised Marriott International from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Marriott International from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Marriott International from $275.00 to $267.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $275.90.

Marriott International Price Performance

Shares of MAR stock opened at $265.99 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $255.57 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $263.34. Marriott International, Inc. has a one year low of $204.55 and a one year high of $307.52. The stock has a market cap of $72.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.29, a P/E/G ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 1.42.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.25 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $6.26 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.19 billion. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.75% and a negative return on equity of 100.64%. Marriott International’s revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.13 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. This is a positive change from Marriott International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.01%. Marriott International’s payout ratio is presently 30.52%.

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.