Empirical Asset Management LLC Purchases 1,196 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)

Empirical Asset Management LLC increased its position in Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 114.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,241 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,196 shares during the period. Empirical Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $625,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MAR. Cypress Wealth Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Marriott International by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Cypress Wealth Services LLC now owns 9,017 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,515,000 after buying an additional 237 shares during the last quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC now owns 25,211 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,032,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. West Coast Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marriott International in the fourth quarter worth approximately $221,000. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Marriott International by 52.4% during the fourth quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 13,817 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,854,000 after purchasing an additional 4,752 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Marriott International by 82.3% in the fourth quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 906 shares of the company’s stock worth $253,000 after purchasing an additional 409 shares during the last quarter. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MAR has been the topic of several research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Marriott International from $280.00 to $314.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Marriott International from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $295.00 to $283.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Marriott International from $251.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Marriott International from $252.00 to $283.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $272.15.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider William P. Brown sold 1,707 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.30, for a total value of $485,300.10. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 23,077 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,560,791.10. This trade represents a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Felitia Lee sold 916 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $276.48, for a total transaction of $253,255.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,609 shares in the company, valued at $1,550,776.32. This trade represents a 14.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 13,815 shares of company stock valued at $3,919,739 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 10.07% of the company’s stock.

Marriott International Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of MAR stock opened at $277.18 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $77.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.99, a PEG ratio of 4.48 and a beta of 1.57. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $282.53 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $255.91. Marriott International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $204.55 and a 52 week high of $295.45.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.26 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.31 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.27 billion. Marriott International had a net margin of 11.18% and a negative return on equity of 177.91%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.11 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Marriott International, Inc. will post 9.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marriott International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 21st were given a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.91%. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.36%.

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.