Vontobel Holding Ltd. Acquires 2,661 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Vontobel Holding Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 12.6% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 23,734 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,661 shares during the quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd.’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $6,620,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its stake in Marriott International by 126.0% in the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 972 shares of the company’s stock valued at $242,000 after purchasing an additional 542 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning increased its stake in Marriott International by 4.1% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 97,322 shares of the company’s stock valued at $24,194,000 after purchasing an additional 3,840 shares in the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Marriott International by 7.5% in the third quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 5,728 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,424,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its stake in Marriott International by 1.8% in the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 32,339 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,039,000 after purchasing an additional 566 shares in the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its stake in Marriott International by 29.4% in the third quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 2,550 shares of the company’s stock valued at $634,000 after purchasing an additional 579 shares in the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider William P. Brown sold 1,707 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.30, for a total transaction of $485,300.10. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 23,077 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,560,791.10. This trade represents a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 12.32% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on MAR. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Marriott International from $287.00 to $283.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Marriott International from $294.00 to $301.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. Argus upped their price target on shares of Marriott International from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Marriott International from $251.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Marriott International from $246.00 to $293.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $284.45.

Marriott International Price Performance

Shares of MAR stock opened at $283.52 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $78.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.66, a P/E/G ratio of 4.88 and a beta of 1.57. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $284.12 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $262.57. Marriott International, Inc. has a one year low of $204.55 and a one year high of $307.52.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.45 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.37 by $0.08. Marriott International had a net margin of 11.18% and a negative return on equity of 177.91%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Marriott International, Inc. will post 9.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 27th will be given a $0.63 dividend. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 27th. Marriott International’s payout ratio is presently 26.36%.

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.