Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co Has $14.32 Million Stake in Marriott International, Inc. $MAR

Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co reduced its position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 27.6% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 38,636 shares of the company’s stock after selling 14,700 shares during the quarter. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $14,318,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Marriott International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $812,570,000. World Investment Advisors boosted its holdings in Marriott International by 130.8% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 16,014 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,968,000 after purchasing an additional 9,075 shares during the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Marriott International by 183.7% during the fourth quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 56,180 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,429,000 after purchasing an additional 36,380 shares during the last quarter. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd increased its stake in Marriott International by 37.7% in the 1st quarter. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd now owns 12,686 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,149,000 after buying an additional 3,476 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its position in Marriott International by 62.7% during the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 640,350 shares of the company’s stock worth $199,069,000 after buying an additional 246,681 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $412.00 price objective on Marriott International in a report on Monday, June 15th. Barclays reduced their price target on Marriott International from $379.00 to $348.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Marriott International in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on Marriott International from $394.00 to $393.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, CICC Research assumed coverage on Marriott International in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $385.65.

Marriott International Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MAR opened at $356.39 on Monday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $370.50 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $358.09. The company has a market cap of $92.94 billion, a PE ratio of 36.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 1.10. Marriott International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $256.76 and a twelve month high of $410.98.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The company reported $3.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.08 by $0.11. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 75.81% and a net margin of 9.62%.The company had revenue of $2.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.19 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.65 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. Marriott International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.640-11.810 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.740-2.820 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Marriott International, Inc. will post 11.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be issued a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. Marriott International’s payout ratio is currently 30.26%.

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.