CENTRAL TRUST Co Acquires 70 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

CENTRAL TRUST Co grew its stake in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 8.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 927 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $259,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MAR. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 494.4% during the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 107 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Silvant Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. ORG Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 158.5% during the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 137 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the period. Finally, Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Marriott International in the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marriott International

In other news, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 2,360 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.41, for a total transaction of $673,567.60. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 39,726 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,338,197.66. The trade was a 5.61 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider William P. Brown sold 1,707 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.30, for a total value of $485,300.10. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 23,077 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,560,791.10. The trade was a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 13,315 shares of company stock worth $3,782,494 in the last three months. 10.07% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Marriott International Stock Performance

NASDAQ MAR opened at $290.75 on Wednesday. Marriott International, Inc. has a one year low of $204.55 and a one year high of $295.45. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $283.11 and a 200 day moving average of $259.42. The company has a market capitalization of $80.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.41, a PEG ratio of 4.68 and a beta of 1.57.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.31 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.11 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 9.26 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. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 21st were paid a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.87%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.36%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on MAR shares. Bank of America raised their price target on Marriott International from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Marriott International from $280.00 to $314.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Argus raised their price target on Marriott International from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Barclays raised their price target on Marriott International from $249.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Marriott International from $258.00 to $264.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $276.35.

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.