Capital Investment Advisors LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG)

Capital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 14.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 63 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 8 shares during the period. Capital Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Booking were worth $265,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of BKNG. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Booking in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust lifted its stake in Booking by 133.3% in the second quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 7 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 4 shares during the last quarter. POM Investment Strategies LLC acquired a new position in Booking during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Kings Path Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Booking in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, West Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Booking in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. 92.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Paulo Pisano sold 100 shares of Booking stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,787 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,722,379.07. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Booking Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of BKNG opened at $4,363.72 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $148.05 billion, a PE ratio of 32.73, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.40. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $3,998.82 and its two-hundred day moving average is $3,829.91. Booking Holdings Inc. has a twelve month low of $2,733.04 and a twelve month high of $4,394.95.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The business services provider reported $41.90 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $39.22 by $2.68. Booking had a negative return on equity of 200.87% and a net margin of 22.46%. The firm had revenue of $5.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.77 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $37.62 earnings per share. Booking’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 176.92 EPS for the current year.

Booking Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 6th were issued a dividend of $8.75 per share. This represents a $35.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 6th. Booking’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.25%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BKNG has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $3,590.00 target price on shares of Booking in a report on Monday, October 7th. DA Davidson dropped their price objective on Booking from $4,150.00 to $4,100.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Wedbush boosted their target price on Booking from $3,850.00 to $4,200.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Booking from $3,900.00 to $4,500.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Booking from $3,950.00 to $3,750.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $4,130.18.

About Booking

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.