First Fiduciary Investment Counsel Inc. Has $8.71 Million Holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

First Fiduciary Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 1.0% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 38,600 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 376 shares during the period. Marriott International makes up about 1.9% of First Fiduciary Investment Counsel Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position. First Fiduciary Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $8,705,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. FMR LLC boosted its position in shares of Marriott International by 16.1% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 8,634,610 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,697,219,000 after buying an additional 1,194,665 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley lifted its holdings in Marriott International by 1.4% during the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 4,711,029 shares of the company’s stock worth $926,000,000 after acquiring an additional 63,411 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its holdings in Marriott International by 34.8% during the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 4,547,098 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,025,416,000 after acquiring an additional 1,173,028 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in Marriott International by 1.8% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,734,680 shares of the company’s stock worth $537,529,000 after acquiring an additional 48,872 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in Marriott International by 0.5% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,461,649 shares of the company’s stock worth $483,862,000 after acquiring an additional 12,901 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Marriott International

In related news, Director Eric Hippeau sold 1,400 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $251.19, for a total transaction of $351,666.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 72 shares in the company, valued at $18,085.68. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, Director Eric Hippeau sold 1,400 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $251.19, for a total transaction of $351,666.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 72 shares in the company, valued at $18,085.68. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Satyajit Anand sold 2,749 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.93, for a total value of $692,555.57. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 24,478 shares in the company, valued at $6,166,742.54. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 125,003 shares of company stock worth $30,435,493 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 12.32% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MAR has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Mizuho reduced their target price on Marriott International from $263.00 to $260.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Marriott International from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. UBS Group upped their price target on Marriott International from $210.00 to $259.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Marriott International from $234.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Marriott International from $205.00 to $227.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 2nd. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $236.69.

Marriott International Trading Down 0.5 %

Marriott International stock opened at $240.84 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $69.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.63, a PEG ratio of 5.40 and a beta of 1.62. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $248.36 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $227.03. Marriott International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $162.77 and a 12 month high of $260.57.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $3.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.12 by $1.45. The firm had revenue of $6.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.20 billion. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 848.49% and a net margin of 13.00%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.96 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 9.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 22nd were paid a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 21st. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.86%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.