Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co Trims Stock Position in Marriott International, Inc. $MAR

Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co cut its stake in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 3.4% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 53,336 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,900 shares during the quarter. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $16,547,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in Marriott International by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 8,887 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,479,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in Marriott International by 39.1% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 5,805 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,383,000 after purchasing an additional 1,631 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP increased its position in Marriott International by 39.6% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 19,332 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,605,000 after purchasing an additional 5,480 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its position in Marriott International by 21.8% during the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 6,035 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,438,000 after purchasing an additional 1,079 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. increased its position in Marriott International by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 137,329 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,520,000 after purchasing an additional 5,007 shares during the period. 70.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MAR has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted 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. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Marriott International from $331.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Barclays boosted their target price on Marriott International from $356.00 to $372.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on Marriott International from $329.00 to $369.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Marriott International from $355.00 to $398.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $357.27.

Marriott International Price Performance

MAR opened at $347.24 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $91.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.11. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $341.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $317.88. Marriott International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $246.50 and a 1-year high of $380.00.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.61 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $6.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.67 billion. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 84.23% and a net margin of 9.93%.The business’s revenue was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.45 EPS. 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. Research analysts expect that Marriott International, Inc. will post 11.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In other Marriott International news, insider William P. Brown sold 9,456 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $358.25, for a total transaction of $3,387,612.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 11,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,940,750. This represents a 46.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 63,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $359.22, for a total value of $22,630,860.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 113,617 shares in the company, valued at approximately $40,813,498.74. This trade represents a 35.67% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 95,540 shares of company stock worth $34,274,055 in the last quarter. 11.43% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.