Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC Sells 50 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC cut its holdings in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 3.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,255 shares of the company’s stock after selling 50 shares during the quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $350,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. PointState Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of Marriott International in the third quarter valued at approximately $98,249,000. Canoe Financial LP acquired a new position in Marriott International in the 3rd quarter worth $77,331,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Marriott International by 15,148.3% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 302,527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $75,208,000 after purchasing an additional 300,543 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in Marriott International by 341.6% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 381,226 shares of the company’s stock valued at $106,339,000 after buying an additional 294,898 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund boosted its position in Marriott International by 36,856.7% during the 2nd quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 241,327 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,346,000 after acquiring an additional 240,674 shares during the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Marriott International Stock Up 1.5 %

Shares of Marriott International stock opened at $276.43 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $282.64 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $255.36. Marriott International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $204.55 and a twelve month high of $295.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.47 and a beta of 1.57.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.26 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.31 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $6.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.27 billion. Marriott International had a net margin of 11.18% and a negative return on equity of 177.91%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.11 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Marriott International, Inc. will post 9.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 21st were given a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.91%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.36%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider William P. Brown sold 1,707 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.30, for a total value of $485,300.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 23,077 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,560,791.10. This represents a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Felitia Lee sold 916 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $276.48, for a total transaction of $253,255.68. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,609 shares in the company, valued at $1,550,776.32. This trade represents a 14.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 13,815 shares of company stock worth $3,919,739 over the last three months. Insiders own 12.32% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on MAR. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Marriott International from $258.00 to $264.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Barclays raised their price target on Marriott International from $249.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Marriott International from $251.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $269.65.

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.