World Investment Advisors Grows Stock Holdings in Marriott International, Inc. $MAR

World Investment Advisors lifted its position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 130.8% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 16,014 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,075 shares during the quarter. World Investment Advisors’ holdings in Marriott International were worth $4,968,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MAR. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $812,570,000. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 21.7% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,175,377 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,389,635,000 after buying an additional 1,637,119 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 37.9% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,363,845 shares of the company’s stock worth $423,119,000 after buying an additional 374,497 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors increased its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 7.1% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 4,107,531 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,274,475,000 after buying an additional 272,250 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi increased its holdings in Marriott International by 52.0% in the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 741,408 shares of the company’s stock valued at $201,618,000 after purchasing an additional 253,696 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Marriott International Trading Up 0.8%

Marriott International stock opened at $376.78 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $99.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $356.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $332.11. Marriott International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $253.55 and a 12-month high of $388.37.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.72 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.56 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.59 billion. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.72% and a negative return on equity of 80.97%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.32 earnings per share. Marriott International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.380-11.630 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.990-3.060 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 11.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 22nd will be paid a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. This is a positive change from Marriott International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.64%.

Insider Activity

In other Marriott International news, EVP Peggy Roe sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $361.56, for a total value of $1,084,680.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 19,827 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,168,650.12. This trade represents a 13.14% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 11.43% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MAR has been the subject of several research reports. Susquehanna lifted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $280.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $343.00 to $384.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $350.00 to $356.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Marriott International to $446.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Marriott International from $372.00 to $376.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Marriott International has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $382.07.

Marriott International Company Profile

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.