O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Boosts Stake in Marriott International, Inc. $MAR

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 8.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 44,675 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,554 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $13,860,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Marriott International by 1.1% in the 3rd 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 last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of Marriott International by 21.7% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,175,377 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,389,635,000 after buying an additional 1,637,119 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors grew its stake in shares of Marriott International by 7.1% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 4,107,531 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,274,475,000 after buying an additional 272,250 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Marriott International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $812,570,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc grew its stake in shares of Marriott International by 9.3% in the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,465,420 shares of the company’s stock worth $381,654,000 after buying an additional 124,759 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marriott International

In other news, EVP Peggy Roe sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $361.56, for a total transaction of $1,084,680.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 19,827 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,168,650.12. This represents a 13.14% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 11.43% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on Marriott International from $388.00 to $386.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Marriott International to $446.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Marriott International from $355.00 to $398.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Truist Financial increased their target price on Marriott International from $350.00 to $356.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Marriott International from $357.00 to $415.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $382.07.

Marriott International Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of MAR opened at $393.61 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $361.53 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $335.12. Marriott International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $253.55 and a 12 month high of $398.96. The company has a market cap of $103.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.30, a P/E/G ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 1.10.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.72 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.59 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.32 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. 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, research analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 11.64 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 22nd. This is a positive change 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.