Marriott International, Inc. $MAR Shares Purchased by Granite Investment Partners LLC

Granite Investment Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 110.1% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,849 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,065 shares during the period. Granite Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $1,598,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Marriott International during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $613,000. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV raised its stake in shares of Marriott International by 9.5% during the first quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV now owns 62,995 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,005,000 after purchasing an additional 5,482 shares during the last quarter. Permanens Capital L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 15.6% during the first quarter. Permanens Capital L.P. now owns 15,396 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,667,000 after purchasing an additional 2,076 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its position in Marriott International by 3.8% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 219,939 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,389,000 after buying an additional 8,149 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Swedbank AB raised its position in Marriott International by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 68,429 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,300,000 after buying an additional 881 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on MAR shares. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Marriott International in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $329.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Marriott International in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on Marriott International from $287.00 to $285.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Barclays lifted their price target on Marriott International from $262.00 to $274.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Marriott International from $280.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marriott International currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $289.87.

Insider Activity at Marriott International

In other news, insider William P. Brown sold 6,666 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.04, for a total value of $1,866,746.64. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 11,000 shares in the company, valued at $3,080,440. This represents a 37.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 1,650 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $286.10, for a total value of $472,065.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 18,225 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,214,172.50. This represents a 8.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 86,672 shares of company stock valued at $25,174,655 in the last quarter. 10.68% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Marriott International Price Performance

MAR opened at $304.65 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $276.30 and its 200 day simple moving average is $270.45. The stock has a market cap of $81.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.16. Marriott International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $205.40 and a 1-year high of $307.52.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $2.47 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.38 by $0.09. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 89.29% and a net margin of 10.07%.The company had revenue of $1.73 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.46 billion. Marriott International has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 2.540-2.620 EPS and its FY 2025 guidance at 9.980-10.060 EPS. Research analysts expect that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 20th. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.30%.

Marriott International announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Thursday, August 7th that permits the company to buyback 25,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

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.