Rakuten Securities Inc. Boosts Stake in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 20.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 466 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc.’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $130,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. NewEdge Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Marriott International by 34.4% during the fourth quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 4,345 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,212,000 after purchasing an additional 1,112 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 566,548 shares of the company’s stock valued at $140,844,000 after buying an additional 2,723 shares in the last quarter. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas purchased a new stake in Marriott International in the third quarter worth approximately $2,721,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new position in shares of Marriott International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,990,000. Finally, Kinsale Capital Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Marriott International during the third quarter worth approximately $3,769,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Evercore ISI raised shares of Marriott International from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $330.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on Marriott International from $255.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Marriott International from $280.00 to $314.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Argus lifted their price target on Marriott International from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on Marriott International from $294.00 to $301.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $286.45.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Marriott International stock opened at $243.81 on Thursday. Marriott International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $204.55 and a fifty-two week high of $307.52. The stock has a market cap of $67.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.30, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.58. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $279.75 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $269.47.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last issued 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%. On average, analysts predict 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 will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, February 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 27th. Marriott International’s payout ratio is currently 30.29%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marriott International

In related news, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,971,395.74. This represents a 50.38 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Susan C. Schwab sold 1,054 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $277.48, for a total transaction of $292,463.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,551 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,262,811.48. This trade represents a 18.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 31,694 shares of company stock valued at $8,938,132. Corporate insiders own 12.32% of the company’s stock.

Marriott International Company 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.