Argus Investors Counsel Inc. Has $1.13 Million Stock Holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Argus Investors Counsel Inc. lessened its holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 10.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,039 shares of the company’s stock after selling 475 shares during the quarter. Argus Investors Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $1,127,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MAR. PointState Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the 3rd quarter worth $98,249,000. Canoe Financial LP acquired a new stake in Marriott International during the third quarter worth about $77,331,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Marriott International by 15,148.3% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 302,527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $75,208,000 after buying an additional 300,543 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 341.6% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 381,226 shares of the company’s stock worth $106,339,000 after acquiring an additional 294,898 shares during the period. Finally, Mizuho Securities USA LLC raised its position in Marriott International by 629.7% during the third quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 134,973 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,554,000 after purchasing an additional 116,477 shares in the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Bank of America lifted their price target on Marriott International from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Marriott International from $249.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Marriott International from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Marriott International from $251.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Marriott International from $252.00 to $283.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Marriott International has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $276.35.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 2,360 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $11,338,197.66. The trade was a 5.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider William P. Brown sold 1,707 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the insider now 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 12,399 shares of company stock worth $3,529,238 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 10.07% of the company’s stock.

Marriott International Trading Up 0.6 %

NASDAQ:MAR opened at $292.39 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $81.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.58, a PEG ratio of 4.68 and a beta of 1.57. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $283.30 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $259.98. Marriott International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $204.55 and a 12 month high of $295.45.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.26 earnings per share 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 analyst estimates of $6.27 billion. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 177.91% and a net margin of 11.18%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.11 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 9.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.