Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS Sells 1,823 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS trimmed its position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 3.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 49,042 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,823 shares during the period. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $13,680,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. iA Global Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Marriott International by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 29,952 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,355,000 after acquiring an additional 1,254 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 62.2% in the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 15,098 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,211,000 after buying an additional 5,788 shares during the period. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 26.0% in the fourth quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 16,355 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,562,000 after buying an additional 3,375 shares during the period. Vinva Investment Management Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 8.1% in the fourth quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd now owns 5,676 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,591,000 after buying an additional 426 shares during the period. Finally, Trillium Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 10.5% in the fourth quarter. Trillium Asset Management LLC now owns 75,637 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,099,000 after buying an additional 7,158 shares during the period. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Marriott International news, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $278.07, for a total value of $4,031,458.86. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 14,282 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,971,395.74. This trade represents a 50.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider William P. Brown sold 12,642 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.63, for a total transaction of $3,610,934.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 30,919 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,831,393.97. The trade was a 29.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 31,694 shares of company stock valued at $8,938,132 over the last three months. 12.32% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Marriott International from $280.00 to $314.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Marriott International from $251.00 to $269.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Marriott International from $251.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Marriott International from $246.00 to $293.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised shares of Marriott International from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $330.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $286.45.

Marriott International Price Performance

MAR opened at $244.84 on Friday. Marriott International, Inc. has a one year low of $204.55 and a one year high of $307.52. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $276.20 and its 200-day simple moving average is $269.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $67.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.58.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.45 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.37 by $0.08. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.46% and a negative return on equity of 116.67%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.03%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.29%.

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.