Verdence Capital Advisors LLC Acquires 231 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Verdence Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 4.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,947 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 231 shares during the quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $1,341,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MAR. abrdn plc increased its holdings in Marriott International by 64.3% during the 4th quarter. abrdn plc now owns 102,617 shares of the company’s stock valued at $23,141,000 after purchasing an additional 40,142 shares in the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Marriott International by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 2,545 shares of the company’s stock valued at $574,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Marriott International during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Greenleaf Trust lifted its holdings in Marriott International by 8.5% during the fourth quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 3,704 shares of the company’s stock worth $835,000 after acquiring an additional 291 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lafayette Investments Inc. bought a new position in Marriott International during the fourth quarter worth about $300,000. Institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Eric Hippeau sold 2,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $237.40, for a total transaction of $617,240.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,472 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $349,452.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Rena Hozore Reiss sold 3,563 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.39, for a total value of $856,509.57. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 36,778 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,841,063.42. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Eric Hippeau sold 2,600 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $237.40, for a total value of $617,240.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,472 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $349,452.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 125,003 shares of company stock valued at $30,435,493 in the last three months. Insiders own 12.32% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on MAR. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Marriott International from $205.00 to $227.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 2nd. UBS Group lifted their target price on Marriott International from $210.00 to $259.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Mizuho began coverage on Marriott International in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $263.00 target price on the stock. Truist Financial lifted their target price on Marriott International from $233.00 to $263.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Marriott International from $239.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $236.88.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Shares of MAR traded down $0.30 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $236.00. The stock had a trading volume of 1,842,310 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,319,787. Marriott International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $162.77 and a 12 month high of $260.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.20 billion, a PE ratio of 23.16, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.62. The company’s 50-day moving average is $248.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $225.65.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $3.57 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.12 by $1.45. The company had revenue of $6.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.20 billion. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 848.49% and a net margin of 13.00%. Marriott International’s revenue was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.96 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Marriott International, Inc. will post 9.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 22nd were given a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 21st. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.41%.

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, and City Express by Marriott brand names, as well as operates residences, timeshares, and yachts.