Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Shares Bought by GAMMA Investing LLC

GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 9.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,410 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 207 shares during the quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $599,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,616,899 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,678,750,000 after acquiring an additional 192,652 shares during the period. Capital International Investors lifted its position in Marriott International by 4.7% in the first quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 3,296,879 shares of the company’s stock worth $831,836,000 after purchasing an additional 149,378 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Marriott International by 5.1% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 679,757 shares of the company’s stock valued at $164,355,000 after purchasing an additional 33,149 shares during the period. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC raised its stake in shares of Marriott International by 11.9% in the 1st quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 635,202 shares of the company’s stock worth $160,268,000 after buying an additional 67,659 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Pacific Advisors LP boosted its stake in Marriott International by 2.1% during the second quarter. First Pacific Advisors LP now owns 613,205 shares of the company’s stock valued at $148,255,000 after buying an additional 12,499 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on MAR shares. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Marriott International from $268.00 to $250.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 6th. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on shares of Marriott International from $252.00 to $245.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Macquarie reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $245.00 price target on shares of Marriott International in a report on Friday, August 2nd. UBS Group decreased their target price on Marriott International from $267.00 to $244.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 13th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on Marriott International from $222.00 to $216.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $248.65.

Marriott International Price Performance

NASDAQ MAR opened at $256.58 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $231.29 and a 200-day simple moving average of $237.70. Marriott International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $180.75 and a 52-week high of $260.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $73.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.68 and a beta of 1.59.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $2.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.49 by $0.01. Marriott International had a net margin of 12.01% and a negative return on equity of 239.60%. The company had revenue of $6.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.47 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.26 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 9.37 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 16th were paid a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 16th. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.01%.

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.