Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) Shares Sold by American Trust

American Trust reduced its position in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 7.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 61 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 5 shares during the period. American Trust’s holdings in Booking were worth $242,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. PARUS FINANCE UK Ltd lifted its position in Booking by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. PARUS FINANCE UK Ltd now owns 863 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,061,000 after buying an additional 3 shares in the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC increased its holdings in Booking by 0.5% in the first quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 624 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,264,000 after buying an additional 3 shares during the last quarter. Aspiriant LLC lifted its stake in Booking by 4.8% in the first quarter. Aspiriant LLC now owns 65 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $236,000 after acquiring an additional 3 shares during the last quarter. Consilio Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Booking by 1.7% in the first quarter. Consilio Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 178 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $647,000 after acquiring an additional 3 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hexagon Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Booking by 30.0% during the 1st quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 13 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 3 shares during the last quarter. 92.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BKNG has been the topic of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Booking from $4,000.00 to $4,200.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, September 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on Booking from $4,275.00 to $4,105.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $3,590.00 target price on shares of Booking in a report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Booking from $3,497.00 to $3,976.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Benchmark lowered their price objective on shares of Booking from $4,700.00 to $4,600.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $4,064.21.

Insider Activity at Booking

In other Booking news, insider Paulo Pisano sold 100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,887.61, for a total transaction of $388,761.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 3,787 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,722,379.07. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $4,067.65, for a total value of $3,050,737.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 24,721 shares in the company, valued at approximately $100,556,375.65. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Paulo Pisano sold 100 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,887.61, for a total value of $388,761.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 3,787 shares in the company, valued at $14,722,379.07. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Booking Stock Up 0.6 %

NASDAQ:BKNG opened at $4,125.01 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $138.27 billion, a PE ratio of 30.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.40. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $2,733.04 and a 12 month high of $4,272.88. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $3,805.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $3,766.25.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The business services provider reported $41.90 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $39.22 by $2.68. Booking had a negative return on equity of 200.87% and a net margin of 22.46%. The business had revenue of $5.86 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.77 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $37.62 EPS. Booking’s revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 176.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Booking Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 6th were paid a $8.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 6th. This represents a $35.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.85%. Booking’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.25%.

Booking Company Profile

Booking Holdings Inc, formerly The Priceline Group Inc, is a provider of travel and restaurant online reservation and related services. The Company, through its online travel companies (OTCs), connects consumers wishing to make travel reservations with providers of travel services across the world. It offers consumers an array of accommodation reservations (including hotels, bed and breakfasts, hostels, apartments, vacation rentals and other properties) through its Booking.com, priceline.com and agoda.com brands.