Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Stock Position Lifted by Trust Co. of Vermont

Trust Co. of Vermont raised its stake in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 6.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,152 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 186 shares during the period. Trust Co. of Vermont’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $879,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Silvant Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Marriott International in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Marriott International in the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC bought a new position in Marriott International during the second quarter valued at approximately $36,000. ORG Partners LLC grew 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. bought a new position in shares of Marriott International during the 3rd quarter valued at $40,000. 70.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MAR has been the topic of several analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Marriott International from $252.00 to $283.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Mizuho boosted their target price on Marriott International from $233.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Marriott International from $254.00 to $277.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $258.00 to $264.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Marriott International presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $272.15.

Insider Activity at Marriott International

In other news, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.49, for a total value of $137,245.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 12,286 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,372,384.14. This trade represents a 3.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Felitia Lee sold 916 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $276.48, for a total transaction of $253,255.68. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,609 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,550,776.32. This represents a 14.04 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 13,815 shares of company stock valued at $3,919,739 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 10.07% of the company’s stock.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Shares of MAR stock opened at $277.18 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $77.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.99, a P/E/G ratio of 4.48 and a beta of 1.57. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $282.53 and a 200-day moving average of $255.91. Marriott International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $204.55 and a 52-week high of $295.45.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.26 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.31 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $6.26 billion during 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%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.11 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 9.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, November 21st were given a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 21st. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.36%.

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.