Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) Shares Purchased by Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC

Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 5.8% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 1,028 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in Booking were worth $3,730,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Activest Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Booking during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Naples Money Management LLC purchased a new position in Booking during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Booking during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Booking in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Booking in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Booking Stock Performance

Shares of BKNG traded down $4.51 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $3,912.38. 23,932 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 251,884. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 52-week low of $2,624.50 and a 52-week high of $4,040.00. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $3,792.09 and a 200 day simple moving average of $3,636.75. The firm has a market cap of $132.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.38.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The business services provider reported $20.39 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $14.03 by $6.36. The company had revenue of $4.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.25 billion. Booking had a negative return on equity of 288.35% and a net margin of 21.81%. Booking’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $11.60 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 178.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Friday, June 7th were issued a $8.75 dividend. This represents a $35.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 7th. Booking’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.25%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on BKNG. StockNews.com raised Booking from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $3,850.00 price objective on shares of Booking in a research report on Tuesday, April 30th. DA Davidson lifted their target price on shares of Booking from $4,100.00 to $4,150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 3rd. B. Riley assumed coverage on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $4,400.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Booking from $3,800.00 to $4,500.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 3rd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $3,902.54.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Booking news, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,534.10, for a total value of $2,650,575.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 26,971 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $95,318,211.10. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Booking news, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,534.10, for a total transaction of $2,650,575.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 26,971 shares in the company, valued at approximately $95,318,211.10. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Radakovich Lynn Vojvodich sold 22 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,437.25, for a total transaction of $75,619.50. Following the sale, the director now owns 189 shares in the company, valued at $649,640.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 1,021 shares of company stock valued at $3,617,852 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

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.