Lakeside Advisors INC. Purchases Shares of 900 Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Lakeside Advisors INC. acquired a new position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $203,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MAR. Grove Bank & Trust raised its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 1,307 shares of the company’s stock worth $295,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Argus Investors Counsel Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Argus Investors Counsel Inc. now owns 7,731 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,743,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors raised its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors now owns 1,673 shares of the company’s stock worth $377,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,989 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,177,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ORG Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 72.6% in the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 126 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Marriott International

In other news, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 47,109 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $242.71, for a total transaction of $11,433,825.39. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 20,036 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,862,937.56. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Satyajit Anand sold 2,749 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.93, for a total value of $692,555.57. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 24,478 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,166,742.54. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Kathleen K. Oberg sold 47,109 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $242.71, for a total transaction of $11,433,825.39. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 20,036 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,862,937.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 125,003 shares of company stock valued at $30,435,493. Insiders own 10.07% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Marriott International from $250.00 to $248.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Mizuho assumed coverage on shares of Marriott International in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $263.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $210.00 to $259.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Marriott International from $234.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 18th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $236.81.

Marriott International Price Performance

NASDAQ:MAR traded down $4.08 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $241.54. The stock had a trading volume of 510,822 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,409,065. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $248.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $224.94. Marriott International, Inc. has a one year low of $162.77 and a one year high of $260.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $69.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.62.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $3.57 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.12 by $1.45. Marriott International had a net margin of 13.00% and a negative return on equity of 848.49%. The firm had revenue of $6.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.20 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.96 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Marriott International, Inc. will post 9.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 21st. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.41%.

About Marriott International

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, and City Express by Marriott brand names, as well as operates residences, timeshares, and yachts.