Westpac Banking Corp Grows Stake in Marriott International, Inc. $MAR

Westpac Banking Corp boosted its stake in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 78.7% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 840 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 370 shares during the quarter. Westpac Banking Corp’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $229,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MAR. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Marriott International by 0.9% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,236,478 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,820,329,000 after acquiring an additional 184,387 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in Marriott International by 16.4% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,427,410 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,292,809,000 after purchasing an additional 766,309 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake 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 last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 18.9% during the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,123,836 shares of the company’s stock worth $982,298,000 after buying an additional 654,766 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its position in shares of Marriott International by 194.7% in the first quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,709,665 shares of the company’s stock valued at $407,242,000 after buying an additional 1,129,555 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on MAR shares. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $287.00 to $285.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Truist Financial upped their price target on Marriott International from $273.00 to $278.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 3rd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Marriott International in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Marriott International from $280.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Marriott International from $302.00 to $296.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $286.40.

Marriott International Stock Performance

Shares of Marriott International stock opened at $282.89 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $269.22 and a 200 day moving average of $267.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $75.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.87, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 1.36. Marriott International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $205.40 and a fifty-two week high of $307.52.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $2.47 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.38 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $1.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.46 billion. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 89.29% and a net margin of 10.07%. Marriott International has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 2.540-2.620 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 9.980-10.060 EPS. Analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 20th will be given a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 20th. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.30%.

Marriott International declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, August 7th that permits the company to repurchase 25,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Marriott International

In other Marriott International news, insider William P. Brown sold 6,666 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.04, for a total transaction of $1,866,746.64. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 11,000 shares in the company, valued at $3,080,440. This represents a 37.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Rena Hozore Reiss sold 5,483 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction on Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $287.11, for a total value of $1,574,224.13. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 39,360 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,300,649.60. The trade was a 12.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 85,799 shares of company stock worth $24,911,376. 10.68% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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, City Express by Marriott, and St.