Nixon Peabody Trust Co. Sells 52 Shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG)

Nixon Peabody Trust Co. lowered its position in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 1.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,141 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 52 shares during the period. Booking comprises 2.1% of Nixon Peabody Trust Co.’s holdings, making the stock its 12th largest position. Nixon Peabody Trust Co.’s holdings in Booking were worth $25,543,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Diversify Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in Booking by 7.8% during the 3rd quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 69 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $302,000 after purchasing an additional 5 shares in the last quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Booking by 103.1% during the 3rd quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 390 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,693,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. increased its holdings in Booking by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 2,623 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $11,050,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC increased its holdings in Booking by 27.3% during the 3rd quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 718 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,025,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Booking by 5.8% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 478 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,015,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BKNG has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on shares of Booking from $4,900.00 to $5,540.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Susquehanna increased their price objective on shares of Booking from $4,100.00 to $5,500.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Booking from $5,560.00 to $5,960.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Booking from $4,600.00 to $5,000.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Booking from $4,470.00 to $5,248.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $5,370.43.

Booking Trading Up 2.0 %

Shares of BKNG opened at $5,016.01 on Friday. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $3,180.00 and a 12 month high of $5,337.24. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $4,898.79 and its 200-day moving average is $4,607.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $164.60 billion, a PE ratio of 28.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.39.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The business services provider reported $41.55 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $35.82 by $5.73. Booking had a net margin of 24.78% and a negative return on equity of 159.34%. The company had revenue of $5.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.18 billion. Equities research analysts predict that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 209.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Booking Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a $9.60 dividend. This represents a $38.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.77%. This is a boost from Booking’s previous quarterly dividend of $8.75. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. Booking’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.19%.

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.