Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund Grows Stock Holdings in Marriott International, Inc. $MAR

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund raised its holdings in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 67.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 55,088 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 22,270 shares during the period. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $18,018,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. McMillan Office Inc. acquired a new stake in Marriott International in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Basepoint Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Marriott International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in Marriott International in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Advocate Investing Services LLC acquired a new position in Marriott International in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Peggy Roe sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owned 19,827 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,168,650.12. The trade was a 13.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 11.43% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on MAR. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Marriott International in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of Marriott International from $350.00 to $356.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Susquehanna raised their price objective 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. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $412.00 price objective on shares of Marriott International in a report on Monday, June 15th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Marriott International from $388.00 to $386.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $384.73.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Shares of MAR opened at $372.95 on Friday. Marriott International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $253.76 and a fifty-two week high of $410.98. The company has a market capitalization of $98.34 billion, a PE ratio of 39.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 1.11. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $373.99 and a two-hundred day moving average of $346.01.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.72 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.56 by $0.16. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 80.97% and a net margin of 9.72%.The business had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.59 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.32 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. 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, equities research analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 11.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 22nd. This is an increase from Marriott International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. Marriott International’s payout ratio is currently 30.64%.

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.