Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC Sells 7,207 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 27.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 19,394 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,207 shares during the period. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $4,374,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. FMR LLC grew its stake in shares of Marriott International by 16.1% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 8,634,610 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,697,219,000 after buying an additional 1,194,665 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Marriott International by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,969,166 shares of the company’s stock valued at $822,982,000 after buying an additional 74,821 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley grew its stake in shares of Marriott International by 52.7% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 4,811,245 shares of the company’s stock valued at $716,346,000 after buying an additional 1,659,637 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Marriott International by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,734,680 shares of the company’s stock valued at $537,529,000 after buying an additional 48,872 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in shares of Marriott International by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,461,649 shares of the company’s stock valued at $483,862,000 after buying an additional 12,901 shares during the period. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Marriott International

In other news, insider Deborah Marriott Harrison sold 37,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.46, for a total transaction of $9,006,458.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 9,100 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,197,286. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, insider Rajeev Menon sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.70, for a total value of $1,450,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 5,232 shares in the company, valued at $1,264,574.40. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Deborah Marriott Harrison sold 37,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.46, for a total transaction of $9,006,458.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 9,100 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,197,286. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 125,003 shares of company stock worth $30,435,493. Corporate insiders own 12.32% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on Marriott International from $250.00 to $248.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Barclays lifted their price target on Marriott International from $239.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday. Mizuho initiated coverage on Marriott International in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $263.00 price target for the company. UBS Group lifted their price target on Marriott International from $210.00 to $259.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, Argus lifted their price target on Marriott International from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 19th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $236.88.

Marriott International Trading Down 0.1 %

NASDAQ:MAR opened at $236.00 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.20 billion, a PE ratio of 23.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.62. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $248.31 and its 200 day moving average is $225.41. Marriott International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $162.77 and a 12 month high of $260.57.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $3.57 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.12 by $1.45. Marriott International had a net margin of 13.00% and a negative return on equity of 848.49%. The business had revenue of $6.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.20 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.96 EPS. Marriott International’s revenue was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 9.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 22nd were paid a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 21st. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.88%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio is 20.41%.

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, and City Express by Marriott brand names, as well as operates residences, timeshares, and yachts.