Bank OZK Buys 323 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Bank OZK increased its position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 4.7% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 7,233 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 323 shares during the period. Bank OZK’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $2,018,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MAR. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its stake in Marriott International by 494.4% in the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 107 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Silvant Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the third quarter worth about $31,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the third quarter worth about $33,000. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Marriott International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, ORG Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Marriott International by 158.5% in the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 137 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on MAR shares. Macquarie reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $245.00 price target on shares of Marriott International in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Marriott International from $251.00 to $269.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Barclays dropped their target price on Marriott International from $287.00 to $283.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on Marriott International from $262.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Marriott International from $252.00 to $283.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $284.05.

Marriott International Price Performance

MAR stock opened at $280.45 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $77.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.71, a P/E/G ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.57. The business’s 50-day moving average is $283.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $266.94. Marriott International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $204.55 and a 1 year high of $307.52.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.45 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 expect that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The company 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 dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.90%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.29%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 14,498 shares of Marriott International 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 14,282 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,971,395.74. The trade was a 50.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider William P. Brown sold 12,642 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.63, for a total value of $3,610,934.46. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 30,919 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,831,393.97. This represents a 29.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 31,694 shares of company stock valued at $8,938,132. 10.07% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.