Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) Shares Acquired by Vest Financial LLC

Vest Financial LLC lifted its stake in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 24.4% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 97 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 19 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC’s holdings in Booking were worth $384,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of BKNG. Precision Wealth Strategies LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Booking by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Precision Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 303 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,075,000 after purchasing an additional 5 shares during the last quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC increased its position in Booking by 45.2% during the fourth quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 151 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $536,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Booking in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,107,000. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Booking by 9.5% in the fourth quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 231 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $819,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC grew its position in shares of Booking by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 161 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $571,000 after acquiring an additional 7 shares during the last quarter. 92.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Booking Stock Performance

BKNG opened at $3,932.59 on Friday. Booking Holdings Inc. has a one year low of $2,733.04 and a one year high of $4,144.32. The company has a market cap of $131.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.49, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.40. The business’s fifty day moving average is $3,767.76 and its two-hundred day moving average is $3,706.18.

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

Booking Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 6th will be paid a dividend of $8.75 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 6th. This represents a $35.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.89%. Booking’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.25%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Booking from $3,497.00 to $3,976.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Booking from $4,300.00 to $3,900.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Wedbush raised their price target on Booking from $3,850.00 to $4,200.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Argus upped their price objective on Booking from $4,200.00 to $4,342.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 4th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Booking from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $4,064.21.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Booking news, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 750 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $4,067.65, for a total transaction of $3,050,737.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 24,721 shares in the company, valued at approximately $100,556,375.65. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, insider Paulo Pisano sold 100 shares of the business’s 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 value of $388,761.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 3,787 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,722,379.07. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $4,067.65, for a total transaction of $3,050,737.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 24,721 shares in the company, valued at approximately $100,556,375.65. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

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.