Marriott International, Inc. $MAR Shares Bought by Handelsbanken Fonder AB

Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its stake in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 66,896 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,521 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $17,422,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. AlphaQuest LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 2,750.0% in the 2nd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 114 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the period. Addison Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Marriott International during the second quarter worth approximately $34,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Marriott International in the second quarter worth approximately $37,000. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. bought a new position in Marriott International during the 2nd quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Marriott International by 198.0% during the 2nd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 149 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Key Marriott International News

Here are the key news stories impacting Marriott International this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks increased several near-term EPS forecasts (Q1–Q4 2026 and portions of 2026–2027) and raised FY2026 estimates, suggesting better-than-expected recovery momentum and higher near-term earnings visibility. These upgrades are constructive for MAR’s earnings trajectory and valuation in the near term.
• Positive Sentiment: Marriott is expanding its higher-margin luxury pipeline and international footprint — e.g., the W Atlanta Downtown conversion to JW Marriott (luxury repositioning) and announced record EMEA signings — supporting long-term unit growth and fee-based revenue potential. W Atlanta Downtown will convert to JW Marriott Marriott deepens Middle East footprint
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector commentary notes persistent hotel-industry headwinds but highlights growth levers — memberships, conversions and loyalty programs — where Marriott is competitive. This keeps the story mixed: positive operational levers but ongoing macro/industry pressure. 3 Hotel Stocks to Watch
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks also issued mixed/negative adjustments to parts of 2027: cuts to Q1 and Q2 2027 and a modest downgrade to FY2027 (from $12.81 to $12.72), creating uncertainty about longer‑term margin recovery and smoothing of results. These downward tweaks likely contributed to intraday selling pressure as investors re‑price medium‑term growth assumptions.
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks’ FY2028 EPS projection of $14.12 (well above current consensus of ~$10.10) signals bullish long‑range assumptions but also introduces forecast dispersion — some investors may view that as optimistic and discount near-term risk, adding to volatility.

Marriott International Trading Down 2.5%

NASDAQ MAR opened at $341.73 on Friday. Marriott International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $205.40 and a 1 year high of $370.00. The company has a market cap of $90.55 billion, a PE ratio of 36.01, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 1.13. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $328.23 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $294.47.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.61 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $6.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.67 billion. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 84.23% and a net margin of 9.93%.The business’s revenue was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.45 earnings per share. Marriott International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.320-11.570 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 2.500-2.550 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 26th will be issued a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 26th. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.24%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 63,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $359.22, for a total transaction of $22,630,860.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 113,617 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $40,813,498.74. The trade was a 35.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider William P. Brown sold 9,456 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $358.25, for a total value of $3,387,612.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 11,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,940,750. The trade was a 46.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 97,157 shares of company stock valued at $34,768,825 over the last quarter. 10.68% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on MAR shares. Barclays upped their price objective on Marriott International from $320.00 to $356.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Evercore upped their price target on shares of Marriott International from $320.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $329.00 to $369.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Marriott International from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $285.00 to $370.00 in a report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Marriott International from $355.00 to $398.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $343.27.

About Marriott International

Marriott International is a global lodging company that develops, manages and franchises a broad portfolio of hotels and related lodging facilities. Its core activities include hotel and resort management, franchise operations, property development and the provision of centralized services such as reservations, marketing and loyalty program management. The company’s brand architecture spans market segments from luxury and premium to select-service and extended-stay, enabling it to serve a wide range of business and leisure travelers as well as corporate and group customers.

The company traces its roots to the hospitality business founded by J.