Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. Reduces Stock Position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,148 shares of the company’s stock after selling 99 shares during the quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $1,245,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. BDF Gestion acquired a new position in shares of Marriott International in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,013,000. Parnassus Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC now owns 2,457,382 shares of the company’s stock worth $554,164,000 after purchasing an additional 7,135 shares during the period. 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 buying an additional 18,192 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 518.7% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 47,519 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,489,000 after buying an additional 39,839 shares during the period. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp raised its stake in Marriott International by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 124,569 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,092,000 after acquiring an additional 4,247 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Macquarie reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $245.00 target price on shares of Marriott International in a report on Friday, August 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Marriott International in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $267.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Marriott International from $248.00 to $238.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 1st. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $267.00 to $244.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 13th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on shares of Marriott International from $222.00 to $216.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $248.65.

Marriott International Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of Marriott International stock opened at $241.67 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $229.70 and a 200-day simple moving average of $237.71. The firm has a market cap of $69.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.34 and a beta of 1.59. Marriott International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $180.75 and a fifty-two week high of $260.57.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $2.50 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.49 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $6.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.47 billion. Marriott International had a net margin of 12.01% and a negative return on equity of 239.60%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.26 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Marriott International, Inc. will post 9.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, August 16th will be given a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 16th. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.04%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.01%.

About Marriott International

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, City Express by Marriott, and St.