EP Wealth Advisors LLC Has $1.72 Million Stock Position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

EP Wealth Advisors LLC cut its position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 13.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,165 shares of the company’s stock after selling 931 shares during the period. EP Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $1,720,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Marriott International by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 5,554 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,549,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. TFG Advisers LLC grew its stake in shares of Marriott International by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. TFG Advisers LLC now owns 4,426 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,235,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management raised its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 3,290 shares of the company’s stock worth $918,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Evermay Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Marriott International by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Evermay Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,415 shares of the company’s stock valued at $953,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Essex Financial Services Inc. grew its position in Marriott International by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 3,004 shares of the company’s stock valued at $838,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the period. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marriott International Price Performance

Shares of MAR stock opened at $257.97 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $70.66 billion, a PE ratio of 31.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.39. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $237.89 and a 200-day moving average of $266.34. Marriott International, Inc. has a one year low of $204.55 and a one year high of $307.52.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.25 by $0.07. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.46% and a negative return on equity of 116.67%. The company had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.19 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.13 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 27th were issued a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 27th. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Susan C. Schwab sold 1,054 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $277.48, for a total value of $292,463.92. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 4,551 shares in the company, valued at $1,262,811.48. The trade was a 18.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Rena Hozore Reiss sold 3,500 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $286.65, for a total value of $1,003,275.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 24,733 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,089,714.45. This represents a 12.40 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 31,694 shares of company stock valued at $8,938,132. 10.68% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MAR has been the topic of several analyst reports. Melius Research raised shares of Marriott International to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $294.00 to $301.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on Marriott International from $295.00 to $226.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Mizuho cut their price objective on Marriott International from $293.00 to $285.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Argus raised their target price on Marriott International from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marriott International currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $272.75.

Marriott International Profile

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.