Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is one of the world’s largest hotel companies, operating a broad portfolio of brands across luxury, premium, and select service segments. Shares recently traded around $307 per share, giving Marriott a market value of roughly $83.2 billion.
Marriott’s asset-light model and global brand portfolio have supported steady fee income and long term earnings growth. Examining who owns Marriott and how insiders have been trading provides useful context on how major shareholders may be positioning at current price levels.
Who Are Marriott’s Top Shareholders?
Marriott’s shareholder base reflects a mix of founding family ownership and large institutional investors. This structure can support long term stability, while changes among active managers may highlight differing views on valuation and growth.
- John Willard Marriott Jr.: 32,474,545 shares (12.10%), ~$9.96B value. Reduced holdings by 123 shares.
- The Vanguard Group, Inc.: 20,667,306 shares (7.70%), ~$6.34B value. Added 229,427 shares (+1.12%).
- Richard E. Marriott: 10,949,865 shares (4.08%), ~$3.36B value. Reduced holdings by 629,864 shares (-5.44%).
- BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, N.A.: 10,188,982 shares (3.80%), ~$3.13B value. Added 11,732 shares (+0.12%).
- State Street Investment Management (US): 9,459,630 shares (3.53%), ~$2.90B value. Reduced holdings by 28,936 shares (-0.30%).
- Wellington Management Company LLP: 9,175,377 shares (3.42%), ~$2.82B value. Added 1,637,119 shares (+21.72%).
- Fidelity Management & Research Company LLC: 5,951,261 shares (2.22%), ~$1.83B value. Reduced holdings by 169,091 shares (-2.76%).
- Invesco Capital Management (QQQ Trust): 5,690,363 shares (2.12%), ~$1.75B value. Reduced holdings by 15,730 shares (-0.28%).
- Geode Capital Management, L.L.C.: 5,237,945 shares (1.95%), ~$1.61B value. Added 14,406 shares (+0.28%).
- MFS Investment Management: 4,831,096 shares (1.80%), ~$1.48B value. Added 321,747 shares (+7.14%).
Marriott remains anchored by long term holders, including the Marriott family and large index funds, while selective buying from firms like Wellington and MFS suggests some active managers continue to see durability in Marriott’s fee-driven earnings, which may matter for investors evaluating stability at today’s valuation.
Hedge Fund Highlights
One notable move last quarter came from Millennium Management, founded by Israel Englander, which increased its Marriott position by over 1,380%. The fund now holds roughly $30 million worth of Marriott shares, which may reflect a tactical build as earnings momentum remains steady.
Gotham Asset Management, led by Joel Greenblatt, also added meaningfully to its Marriott stake, increasing its position by about 73%. The firm now holds roughly $20 million in shares, suggesting it may see an attractive long term setup relative to Marriott’s cash flow profile.
Adage Capital Partners, co-founded by Robert Atchinson, boosted its Marriott holdings by over 71%, bringing its position to nearly $93 million. The size of the increase may indicate growing confidence in Marriott’s ability to sustain earnings growth as travel demand normalizes.
DE Shaw, founded by David Shaw, raised its Marriott stake by roughly 56%, now holding close to $55 million worth of the stock. This move suggests quantitative and multi-strategy funds continue to find Marriott attractive from a valuation or factor perspective, which may be relevant for investors tracking institutional conviction.
Track the top shareholders of over 50,000 global stocks (It’s free) >>>
Marriott’s Recent Insider Trades
Insider trades can help provide context on how executives and directors may be managing personal exposure. Recent filings for Marriott show mostly small transactions.
- Felitia Lee (Officer): Sold ~$495K worth of shares at prices near $305 to $308.
- Deborah Harrison Marriott (Director): Disposed of ~$846K worth of shares through direct and indirect transactions.
- David Sheets Marriott (Director): Disposed of ~$150K worth of shares via indirect transactions.
- John Willard Marriott Jr.: Disposed of ~$38K worth of shares.
These transactions represent a very small portion of insider ownership and do not materially change overall holdings, which suggests it appears insiders are managing personal exposure rather than signaling a strong near term view, an important distinction for investors.
See recent insider trade data for over 50,000 global stocks (It’s free) >>>
What the Ownership & Insider Trade Data Tell Us
Marriott’s ownership remains dominated by long term holders, with the founding family maintaining a meaningful stake alongside large passive institutions. Active managers appear selective, with some increasing exposure while others trim modestly.
Insider activity appears limited in size and scope, offering context but no decisive signal. For investors, this ownership mix suggests Marriott continues to be viewed as a durable, cash-generating business, though positioning across institutions and insiders looks balanced at current price levels.
Value Any Stock in Under 60 Seconds (It’s Free)
With TIKR’s new Valuation Model tool, you can estimate a stock’s potential share price in under a minute.
All it takes is three simple inputs:
- Revenue Growth
- Operating Margins
- Exit P/E Multiple
From there, TIKR calculates the potential share price and total returns under Bull, Base, and Bear scenarios so you can quickly see whether a stock looks undervalued or overvalued.
If you’re not sure what to enter, TIKR automatically fills in each input using analysts’ consensus estimates, giving you a quick, reliable starting point.
See a stock’s true value in under 60 seconds (Free with TIKR) >>>
