Clarus Wealth Advisors Acquires Shares of 3,454 Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Clarus Wealth Advisors bought a new position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 3,454 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $940,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Silvant Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Marriott International in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marriott International in the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC bought a new position in Marriott International during the second quarter valued at about $36,000. ORG Partners LLC raised its position in Marriott International by 158.5% in the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 137 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the period. Finally, Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. bought a new position in shares of Marriott International during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $40,000. 70.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on MAR. Mizuho upped their price objective on Marriott International from $233.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Marriott International from $251.00 to $269.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Marriott International from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Marriott International from $251.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marriott International has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $269.65.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marriott International news, insider William P. Brown sold 1,707 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.30, for a total value of $485,300.10. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 23,077 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,560,791.10. The trade was a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.49, for a total value of $137,245.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 12,286 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,372,384.14. This represents a 3.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 13,815 shares of company stock worth $3,919,739 in the last quarter. 12.32% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Marriott International Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ MAR opened at $276.43 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $282.64 and a 200-day moving average of $255.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $76.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.92, a PEG ratio of 5.47 and a beta of 1.57. Marriott International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $204.55 and a 12 month high of $295.45.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last issued its quarterly 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). Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 177.91% and a net margin of 11.18%. The company had revenue of $6.26 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.27 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.11 EPS. Marriott International’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 9.26 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. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 21st were given a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.91%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.36%.

Marriott International Company 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.