Benjamin Breland Sells 2,000 Shares of Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) Stock

Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) EVP Benjamin Breland sold 2,000 shares of Marriott International stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $358.03, for a total value of $716,060.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 26,399 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,451,633.97. This trade represents a 7.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Marriott International Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of MAR opened at $347.93 on Friday. Marriott International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $205.40 and a 12-month high of $370.00. The stock has a market cap of $92.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.66, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a 50-day moving average of $324.55 and a two-hundred day moving average of $291.31.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business 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, analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, February 26th will be paid a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 26th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Marriott International’s payout ratio is presently 28.24%.

Key Stories Impacting Marriott International

Here are the key news stories impacting Marriott International this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management set FY?2026 and Q1 guidance above some Street expectations, supporting earnings growth expectations and underpinning analyst upgrades. Q4 & FY2024 Results / Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple brokerages raised price targets or reiterated Buy/Overweight calls after the results, increasing the consensus target and offering support for the stock. MarketBeat Analyst Coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Company declared a quarterly dividend ($0.67/shr; ex?dividend Feb 26), signaling cash?return discipline that can attract income?sensitive investors. Dividend Notice
• Positive Sentiment: Retail/momentum coverage (Zacks/Yahoo pieces) is highlighting MAR as a consumer?discretionary beneficiary of cooling inflation and stronger travel demand, which can draw retail buying. Yahoo: Consumer Discretionary Picks
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 results were mixed: revenue modestly beat and was up year?over?year, but EPS missed by about $0.03 and margins/ROE metrics raised questions—supports guidance but tempers upside. Nasdaq: Q4 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Brand and marketing updates (Bonvoy festival experiences; new JW Marriott all?inclusive) improve engagement but are unlikely to move the stock materially near?term. MSN: Bonvoy Festival
• Negative Sentiment: Clustered insider selling — large, disclosed sales by CEO Anthony Capuano (63,000 shares) and multiple senior executives (including Rajeev Menon, David Marriott, EVP sales) created visible supply and likely amplified downward pressure on the share price. These are open SEC?filed sales that can spook investors even when sales are part of pre?arranged plans. CEO Sale (SEC filing)

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marriott International

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MAR. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Marriott International in the 4th quarter valued at about $812,570,000. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in Marriott International by 21.7% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,175,377 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,389,635,000 after buying an additional 1,637,119 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners acquired a new stake in shares of Marriott International in the second quarter worth $196,579,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in shares of Marriott International by 37.9% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,363,845 shares of the company’s stock valued at $423,119,000 after acquiring an additional 374,497 shares during the period. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 7.2% during 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 acquiring an additional 330,952 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MAR has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Marriott International from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $285.00 to $370.00 in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on Marriott International from $329.00 to $369.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Marriott International from $323.00 to $356.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Truist Financial increased their target price on Marriott International from $283.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Marriott International from $355.00 to $398.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $343.27.

Marriott International Company 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.