Forvis Mazars Wealth Advisors LLC Cuts Stock Position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Forvis Mazars Wealth Advisors LLC reduced its position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 8.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,009 shares of the company’s stock after selling 96 shares during the quarter. Forvis Mazars Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $281,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 494.4% in the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 107 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Marriott International in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Silvant Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marriott International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marriott International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marriott International in the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marriott International Stock Performance

MAR stock opened at $276.76 on Tuesday. Marriott International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $204.55 and a fifty-two week high of $307.52. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $283.46 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $265.88. The company has a market capitalization of $76.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.57.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.37 by $0.08. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 116.67% and a net margin of 9.46%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, February 27th will be paid a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.91%. Marriott International’s payout ratio is currently 30.29%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marriott International news, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $278.07, for a total transaction of $4,031,458.86. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 14,282 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,971,395.74. This trade represents a 50.38 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Rena Hozore Reiss sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 24,733 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,089,714.45. This represents a 12.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 12.32% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MAR shares. Evercore ISI raised Marriott International from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $330.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Marriott International from $251.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. UBS Group boosted their target price on Marriott International from $294.00 to $301.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Marriott International from $280.00 to $314.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on Marriott International from $262.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Marriott International presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $284.05.

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.