Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. Boosts Stock Position in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG)

Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. grew its position in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 8.8% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 1,123 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the period. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc.’s holdings in Booking were worth $4,449,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Booking during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Pacific Capital Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Booking in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Booking in the 2nd quarter worth about $32,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC bought a new stake in Booking during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Private Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Booking during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. 92.42% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Booking Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ BKNG traded up $35.50 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $3,738.00. 261,557 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 259,116. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $3,803.95 and a 200-day simple moving average of $3,690.89. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 52-week low of $2,733.04 and a 52-week high of $4,144.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $126.82 billion, a PE ratio of 28.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.38.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The business services provider reported $41.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $39.22 by $2.68. The company 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 quarterly revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $37.62 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 177.09 EPS for the current year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 6th will be issued a $8.75 dividend. This represents a $35.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 6th. Booking’s payout ratio is currently 26.25%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BKNG has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $4,205.00 target price (up previously from $4,150.00) on shares of Booking in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Booking from $3,700.00 to $4,000.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. B. Riley reduced their target price on shares of Booking from $4,900.00 to $4,650.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Booking from $4,300.00 to $3,900.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, HSBC upped their price objective on shares of Booking from $4,220.00 to $4,230.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 7th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $4,068.32.

Insider Activity at Booking

In other news, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $4,067.65, for a total transaction of $3,050,737.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 24,721 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $100,556,375.65. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.12% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.