Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) Shares Purchased by Morse Asset Management Inc

Morse Asset Management Inc boosted its holdings in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 5.3% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,664 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 84 shares during the period. Booking makes up 1.5% of Morse Asset Management Inc’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Morse Asset Management Inc’s holdings in Booking were worth $6,037,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Activest Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Booking in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Naples Money Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Booking in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Booking in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Booking in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Bourgeon Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Booking in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. 92.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Booking Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:BKNG traded up $41.11 on Friday, hitting $3,700.99. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 233,994 shares, compared to its average volume of 203,060. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $2,733.04 and a 12 month high of $4,144.32. The company has a market capitalization of $125.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.38. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $3,887.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $3,687.63.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The business services provider reported $20.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $14.03 by $6.36. The firm had revenue of $4.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.25 billion. Booking had a negative return on equity of 288.35% and a net margin of 21.81%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $11.60 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 178.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Booking Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Friday, June 7th were paid a $8.75 dividend. This represents a $35.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 7th. Booking’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on BKNG shares. Barclays lifted their price objective on Booking from $3,800.00 to $4,300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. DA Davidson lifted their price objective on Booking from $4,100.00 to $4,150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Booking from $3,800.00 to $4,500.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $4,205.00 price objective (up from $4,150.00) on shares of Booking in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Booking from $3,494.00 to $3,497.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $4,056.31.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Booking news, Director Radakovich Lynn Vojvodich sold 22 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,437.25, for a total value of $75,619.50. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 189 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $649,640.25. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Booking news, Director Radakovich Lynn Vojvodich sold 22 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,437.25, for a total value of $75,619.50. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 189 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $649,640.25. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 15th. The stock was 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 directly owns 24,721 shares in the company, valued at $100,556,375.65. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 999 shares of company stock valued at $3,939,187 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Booking 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.