Covea Finance Acquires 61,918 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. $MAR

Covea Finance increased its stake in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 120.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 113,358 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 61,918 shares during the quarter. Covea Finance’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $29,523,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MAR. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Marriott International by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 8,649 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,363,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. CreativeOne Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in Marriott International by 2.1% during the first quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 1,831 shares of the company’s stock valued at $436,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. L2 Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Marriott International by 4.0% in the second quarter. L2 Asset Management LLC now owns 996 shares of the company’s stock worth $272,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Valmark Advisers Inc. raised its position in shares of Marriott International by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 2,462 shares of the company’s stock valued at $673,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,387 shares of the company’s stock valued at $569,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Shares of MAR opened at $315.01 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $84.53 billion, a PE ratio of 33.26, a P/E/G ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 1.16. The company’s fifty day moving average is $289.26 and its 200 day moving average is $275.03. Marriott International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $205.40 and a fifty-two week high of $316.69.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $2.47 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.38 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $1.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.46 billion. Marriott International had a net margin of 10.07% and a negative return on equity of 89.29%. 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. As a group, research analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Marriott International from $287.00 to $285.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on Marriott International in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $329.00 target price on the stock. Truist Financial upped their price target on Marriott International from $278.00 to $283.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $280.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on shares of Marriott International from $274.00 to $276.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marriott International has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $297.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marriott International news, CAO Felitia Lee sold 1,617 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction on Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.98, for a total transaction of $494,769.66. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,893 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,497,160.14. The trade was a 24.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Rena Hozore Reiss sold 5,483 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $287.11, for a total transaction of $1,574,224.13. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 39,360 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,300,649.60. This represents a 12.23% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 88,289 shares of company stock worth $25,669,425. 10.68% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Marriott International Company Profile

Marriott International is a global lodging company that develops, manages and franchises a broad portfolio of hotels and related lodging facilities. Its core activities include hotel and resort management, franchise operations, property development and the provision of centralized services such as reservations, marketing and loyalty program management. The company’s brand architecture spans market segments from luxury and premium to select-service and extended-stay, enabling it to serve a wide range of business and leisure travelers as well as corporate and group customers.

The company traces its roots to the hospitality business founded by J.