Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG Stake Raised by PensionDanmark Pensionsforsikringsaktieselskab

PensionDanmark Pensionsforsikringsaktieselskab lifted its holdings in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 2,591.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 217,143 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 209,074 shares during the period. PensionDanmark Pensionsforsikringsaktieselskab’s holdings in Booking were worth $38,704,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Booking during the 4th quarter worth about $361,463,000. Rit Capital Partners PLC acquired a new position in shares of Booking during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $51,396,000. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. acquired a new position in shares of Booking during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $210,352,000. Cardano Risk Management B.V. raised its holdings in Booking by 862.0% during the fourth quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 218,080 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,167,890,000 after purchasing an additional 195,411 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rathbones Group PLC boosted its stake in Booking by 20.5% during the 4th quarter. Rathbones Group PLC now owns 64,908 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $347,604,000 after purchasing an additional 11,042 shares in the last quarter. 92.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Booking news, VP Peter J. Millones sold 62,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the vice president directly owned 425,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $69,572,025.25. The trade was a 12.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Robert J. Mylod, Jr. sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $1,000,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 16,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,200,000. The trade was a 23.81% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders have sold 69,625 shares of company stock worth $11,652,075. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on BKNG shares. Argus set a $210.00 target price on Booking and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Benchmark raised their price objective on shares of Booking from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Evercore set a $245.00 target price on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Gordon Haskett increased their target price on shares of Booking from $217.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and issued a $236.00 price target (up from $225.00) on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Booking presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $234.69.

Booking Trading Up 0.2%

BKNG stock opened at $207.39 on Friday. Booking Holdings Inc. has a one year low of $150.14 and a one year high of $231.80. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $178.49 and a two-hundred day moving average of $176.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $155.83 billion, a PE ratio of 22.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.07.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last released its earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The business services provider reported $2.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.43 by $0.11. Booking had a net margin of 25.53% and a negative return on equity of 102.96%. The business had revenue of $7.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.19 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $55.40 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 11th will be given a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 11th. Booking’s payout ratio is presently 18.58%.

Trending Headlines about Booking

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 earnings and revenue beat expectations: Booking reported adjusted earnings of $2.54 per share versus the $2.43 consensus, while revenue rose 8.1% year over year to $7.35 billion, exceeding estimates of $7.19 billion. Growth in room nights, gross bookings and EBITDA pointed to continued travel demand. Booking Holdings Q2 results top estimates as travel demand remains resilient
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised targets and maintained bullish ratings: UBS lifted its target to $274 and kept a Buy rating, while Wedbush raised its target to $247 with an Outperform rating. Benchmark increased its target to $250, and BTIG reaffirmed its Buy rating with a $250 target. Booking Given New Price Target at UBS Group
• Positive Sentiment: Operational initiatives remain supportive: Management highlighted early benefits from artificial-intelligence personalization, higher savings and growth in its connected-trip offerings, which could support efficiency and longer-term expansion. BKNG Q2 Earnings Call Centers on Resilience, AI and Savings
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend declared: Booking declared a quarterly dividend of $0.42 per share, payable September 30 to shareholders of record September 11. The modest 0.8% yield is supportive of shareholder returns but unlikely to materially affect valuation.
• Neutral Sentiment: Director stock sale: Director Robert J. Mylod Jr. sold 1,000 shares worth $206,700 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. Because the sale was scheduled in advance and leaves him with 15,000 shares, it is not necessarily a bearish signal. SEC Form 4 filing
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term concerns temper the optimism: Third-quarter revenue guidance was viewed as soft, room-night growth is slowing, and marketing expenses are rising faster than revenue. Geopolitical volatility and competition from Google also remain risks, while some commentary warned that the recent rally has left the stock technically overbought. Why Analysts Are Bullish on a Stock That’s Down 20%

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.