Korea Investment CORP Grows Position in Marriott International, Inc. $MAR

Korea Investment CORP lifted its position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 3.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 129,141 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,316 shares during the quarter. Korea Investment CORP’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $33,633,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Marriott International by 1.1% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,774,015 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,410,384,000 after buying an additional 230,820 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 9,488,566 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,592,371,000 after acquiring an additional 114,973 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Marriott International by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,223,539 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,420,308,000 after purchasing an additional 102,798 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in Marriott International by 7.2% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,921,767 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,281,825,000 after purchasing an additional 330,952 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its position in Marriott International by 5.0% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,330,656 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,183,178,000 after purchasing an additional 206,820 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Marriott International

In related news, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 63,000 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $359.22, for a total value of $22,630,860.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 113,617 shares in the company, valued at approximately $40,813,498.74. This trade represents a 35.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider William P. Brown sold 9,456 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $358.25, for a total value of $3,387,612.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 11,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,940,750. This represents a 46.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 97,157 shares of company stock worth $34,768,825 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 10.68% of the company’s stock.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Shares of MAR opened at $328.86 on Tuesday. Marriott International, Inc. has a one year low of $205.40 and a one year high of $370.00. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $330.23 and a 200 day moving average price of $297.44. The company has a market capitalization of $87.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.09.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.61 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $6.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.67 billion. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 84.23% and a net margin of 9.93%.Marriott International’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.45 earnings per share. Marriott International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.320-11.570 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 2.500-2.550 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 26th. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio is 28.24%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MAR shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Marriott International from $353.00 to $403.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Marriott International from $357.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $323.00 to $356.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $355.00 to $398.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Marriott International from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the company from $285.00 to $370.00 in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marriott International presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $343.27.

Marriott International 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.