Covea Finance Has $33.18 Million Stock Position in Marriott International, Inc. $MAR

Covea Finance reduced its position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 5.6% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 106,958 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,400 shares during the quarter. Marriott International makes up about 1.1% of Covea Finance’s holdings, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Covea Finance’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $33,183,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. National Pension Service lifted its stake in Marriott International by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 603,431 shares of the company’s stock worth $157,158,000 after acquiring an additional 9,530 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc grew its stake in Marriott International by 9.3% during the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,465,420 shares of the company’s stock valued at $381,654,000 after acquiring an additional 124,759 shares in the last quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Marriott International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $858,000. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ lifted its position in shares of Marriott International by 5.8% in the third quarter. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ now owns 73,759 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,210,000 after purchasing an additional 4,067 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Investment Advisory LLC grew its position in Marriott International by 2.7% during the third quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 572,367 shares of the company’s stock valued at $149,067,000 after purchasing an additional 14,898 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on MAR. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $323.00 to $356.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Marriott International from $355.00 to $398.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Marriott International from $328.00 to $331.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on Marriott International from $329.00 to $369.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Marriott International from $353.00 to $403.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $343.47.

Insider Transactions at Marriott International

In related news, insider William P. Brown sold 9,456 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $358.25, for a total value of $3,387,612.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 11,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,940,750. The trade was a 46.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Drew Pinto sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $359.81, for a total value of $1,439,240.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 8,221 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,957,998.01. This trade represents a 32.73% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 95,540 shares of company stock worth $34,274,055. 10.68% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Marriott International Trading Down 1.6%

Marriott International stock opened at $319.76 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $84.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.69, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.09. Marriott International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $205.40 and a 1-year high of $370.00. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $331.15 and its 200-day simple moving average is $300.34.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $2.58 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.61 by ($0.03). Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 84.23% and a net margin of 9.93%.The business had revenue of $6.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.67 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.45 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Marriott International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.320-11.570 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 2.500-2.550 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 26th. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.24%.

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.