Kentucky Retirement Systems Has $6.07 Million Position in Marriott International, Inc. $MAR

Kentucky Retirement Systems grew its position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 29.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 18,548 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 4,256 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in Marriott International were worth $6,066,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in Marriott International by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,440,359 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,377,577,000 after acquiring an additional 118,504 shares during the period. Capital International Investors lifted its position in shares of Marriott International by 7.1% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 4,107,531 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,274,475,000 after acquiring an additional 272,250 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Marriott International during the 4th quarter worth $812,570,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in shares of Marriott International by 13.2% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,879,028 shares of the company’s stock worth $582,952,000 after purchasing an additional 219,579 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Marriott International by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,619,423 shares of the company’s stock valued at $502,410,000 after purchasing an additional 19,387 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Marriott International from $353.00 to $380.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Susquehanna increased their price target on shares of Marriott International from $280.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $412.00 price objective on shares of Marriott International in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Marriott International in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on Marriott International from $336.00 to $412.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, June 15th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $388.59.

Marriott International Trading Down 1.5%

MAR stock opened at $375.48 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $379.44 and a 200-day moving average price of $354.06. Marriott International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $253.76 and a 12 month high of $410.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $99.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.11.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.56 by $0.16. Marriott International had a net margin of 9.72% and a negative return on equity of 80.97%. The company had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.59 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.32 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. 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, equities analysts predict that Marriott International, Inc. will post 11.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 22nd were paid a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 22nd. This is a positive change from Marriott International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.64%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Peggy Roe sold 3,000 shares of the business’s 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 19,827 shares in the company, valued at $7,168,650.12. The trade was a 13.14% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 11.43% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.