Atomi Financial Group Inc. Raises Stake in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Atomi Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 14.0% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 2,016 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 247 shares during the period. Atomi Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $562,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Jensen Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Marriott International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $793,000. BayBridge Capital Group LLC bought a new stake in Marriott International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,254,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its stake in Marriott International by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 566,548 shares of the company’s stock valued at $140,844,000 after acquiring an additional 2,723 shares during the period. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas bought a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the third quarter valued at about $2,721,000. Finally, Kinsale Capital Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the third quarter valued at about $3,769,000. 70.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marriott International news, insider William P. Brown sold 1,707 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.30, for a total value of $485,300.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 23,077 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,560,791.10. This represents a 6.89 % 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, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 8,332 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.49, for a total value of $2,370,370.68. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 108,361 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $30,827,620.89. The trade was a 7.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 13,815 shares of company stock worth $3,919,739. 12.32% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Marriott International Stock Up 1.7 %

Shares of Marriott International stock opened at $285.07 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $79.22 billion, a PE ratio of 29.82, a P/E/G ratio of 4.59 and a beta of 1.57. The business has a 50 day moving average of $282.07 and a 200 day moving average of $256.82. Marriott International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $204.55 and a 52 week high of $295.45.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last announced its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.26 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.31 by ($0.05). The business 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%. Marriott International’s revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.11 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Marriott International, Inc. will post 9.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 21st were issued a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.88%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.36%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MAR has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $251.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $238.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $249.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Marriott International from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Argus upped their target price on Marriott International from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $272.15.

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.