Markel Group Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in Marriott International, Inc. $MAR

Markel Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 21.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 73,250 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 13,000 shares during the period. Markel Group Inc.’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $19,077,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MAR has been the subject of several research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on shares of Marriott International from $329.00 to $369.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Marriott International from $285.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Marriott International in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $329.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Marriott International in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their target price 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. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $313.75.

Insider Activity at Marriott International

In other news, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 1,650 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $286.10, for a total transaction of $472,065.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 18,225 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,214,172.50. The trade was a 8.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Peggy Roe sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $292.12, for a total transaction of $584,240.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 17,466 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,102,167.92. The trade was a 10.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 88,289 shares of company stock valued at $25,669,425 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 10.68% of the company’s stock.

Marriott International Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of NASDAQ MAR opened at $316.70 on Tuesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $308.71 and its 200 day moving average is $282.85. Marriott International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $205.40 and a 52 week high of $331.09. The company has a market cap of $84.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.44, a PEG ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.16.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $2.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.38 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $1.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.46 billion. Marriott International had a net margin of 10.07% and a negative return on equity of 89.29%. Marriott International has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 2.540-2.620 EPS and its FY 2025 guidance at 9.980-10.060 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 20th were given a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 20th. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.30%.

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.