Marriott’s 1.77% Rally Amid 416th-Ranked Trading Volume as Institutional Buyers Boost Holdings

Marriott International (MAR) rose 1.77% on August 13, 2025, with a trading volume of $280 million, ranking 416th in market activity. The stock’s performance followed a strategic shift in institutional ownership, as NS Partners Ltd increased its stake by 0.6% in Q1, now holding 0.06% of the company’s shares worth $37.8 million. This adjustment reflects broader investor activity, with several hedge funds adding or expanding positions, including Sound Income Strategies LLC, which boosted its holdings by 46.7% during the same period.

Analyst sentiment remained mixed, with ratings ranging from “hold” to “buy.” Truist Financial reduced its price target to $273, while Jefferies upgraded the stock to “buy” with a $303 target. The average consensus remains a “Moderate Buy,” with a $280.89 price target. Earnings reported on August 5 showed the company met expectations, posting $2.65 EPS and 4.7% year-over-year revenue growth to $6.74 billion. However, a 93.44% negative return on equity highlighted operational challenges.

The company announced a $0.67 quarterly dividend, yielding 1.0%, and initiated a $25 million stock repurchase program, signaling confidence in its valuation. Insider sales, including a 30.47% reduction in ownership by Rajeev Menon, contrasted with institutional accumulation, though total insider ownership remains at 10.68% of shares.

A backtest of a strategy buying the top 500 most actively traded stocks daily and holding for one day yielded a 3.77% return from 2022 to the present. This matched the baseline market return, underscoring that high trading volume alone does not guarantee outperformance. The strategy required daily rebalancing and carried risks tied to market volatility and liquidity shifts.