First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. Increases Stock Position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. grew its position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 19.8% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 4,838 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 800 shares during the quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P.’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $1,221,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Caprock Group LLC lifted its holdings in Marriott International by 255.1% in the 4th quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 11,781 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,657,000 after buying an additional 8,463 shares during the period. Parnassus Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Marriott International by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC now owns 2,457,382 shares of the company’s stock valued at $554,164,000 after acquiring an additional 7,135 shares in the last quarter. Redwood Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Marriott International by 208.3% in the 4th quarter. Redwood Investment Management LLC now owns 26,927 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,072,000 after purchasing an additional 18,192 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp boosted its stake in shares of Marriott International by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 124,569 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,092,000 after purchasing an additional 4,247 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC raised its stake in Marriott International by 86.8% in the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 44,957 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,138,000 after buying an additional 20,890 shares in the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MAR opened at $240.17 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $237.35 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $239.61. The firm has a market cap of $68.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.52 and a beta of 1.60. Marriott International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $178.24 and a fifty-two week high of $260.57.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.17 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $5.98 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.95 billion. Marriott International had a net margin of 12.00% and a negative return on equity of 376.88%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.09 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 9.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 24th were issued a dividend of $0.63 per share. This is a boost from Marriott International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 23rd. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.01%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on MAR shares. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Marriott International from $250.00 to $248.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Marriott International from $248.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Marriott International from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Marriott International from $239.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 19th. Finally, Argus upped their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marriott International has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $242.19.

Marriott International Profile

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.