Citizens National Bank Trust Department Has $1.05 Million Stock Holdings in Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG

Citizens National Bank Trust Department grew its stake in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 2,443.3% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 5,875 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,644 shares during the period. Citizens National Bank Trust Department’s holdings in Booking were worth $1,047,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of BKNG. Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its stake in shares of Booking by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 121 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $700,000 after purchasing an additional 2 shares in the last quarter. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC grew its stake in Booking by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC now owns 403 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,158,000 after purchasing an additional 2 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. increased its holdings in Booking by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 642 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,434,000 after buying an additional 2 shares during the last quarter. Bigelow Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in Booking by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Bigelow Investment Advisors LLC now owns 112 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $600,000 after buying an additional 2 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DF Dent & Co. Inc. raised its stake in Booking by 2.0% during the third quarter. DF Dent & Co. Inc. now owns 152 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $821,000 after buying an additional 3 shares in the last quarter. 92.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Booking Price Performance

Booking stock opened at $212.06 on Friday. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $150.14 and a 12-month high of $231.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $159.34 billion, a PE ratio of 23.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.07. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $184.00 and a 200-day simple moving average of $177.04.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The business services provider reported $2.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.43 by $0.11. Booking had a negative return on equity of 102.96% and a net margin of 25.53%.The firm had revenue of $7.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.19 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $55.40 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Booking Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 11th will be issued a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 11th. Booking’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.58%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on BKNG shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded Booking from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Susquehanna reiterated a “positive” rating and set a $240.00 target price on shares of Booking in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Argus lifted their price target on shares of Booking from $210.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald upped their target price on Booking from $175.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Booking currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $235.72.

Insider Buying and Selling at Booking

In related news, VP Peter J. Millones sold 62,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.67, for a total transaction of $10,229,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 425,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $69,572,025.25. This represents a 12.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 1,125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.00, for a total transaction of $216,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 16,508 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,169,536. The trade was a 6.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 89,625 shares of company stock worth $15,872,675. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Booking Company Profile

Booking Holdings Inc is a global online travel company that operates a portfolio of consumer brands and technology platforms that facilitate the search for and booking of travel services. The company’s businesses focus on accommodations, transportation and related travel services through consumer-facing websites and apps as well as partner distribution channels. Booking Holdings was originally founded as Priceline in the late 1990s and adopted the Booking Holdings name in 2018; it is headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut.

Its core offerings include online reservations for hotels, vacation rentals and other lodging; flight and car rental search and booking; and ancillary services that support travel planning and on-property experiences.