State of Alaska Department of Revenue Acquires 4,563 Shares of Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG

State of Alaska Department of Revenue raised its holdings in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 6.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 80,487 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,563 shares during the quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue’s holdings in Booking were worth $13,112,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Osbon Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Booking in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. L2 Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Booking by 6.6% during the fourth quarter. L2 Asset Management LLC now owns 162 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $868,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Monetary Solutions Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Booking during the fourth quarter worth $70,000. Pure Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in Booking by 7.6% during the fourth quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC now owns 183 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $982,000 after purchasing an additional 13 shares during the period. Finally, MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Booking in the fourth quarter valued at $86,000. 92.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Booking

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Booking launched Vayo, an AI-powered personal travel agent now entering private beta, and plans to invest $100 million in the business. The platform is intended to organize travelers’ bookings, learn their preferences and provide ongoing trip support. Investors may view the initiative as a potential long-term growth opportunity and a way to strengthen Booking’s customer relationship. Booking Holdings Launches Vayo with Planned $100M Investment
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst price targets remain well above the stock’s recent trading level, with one report citing an average target of $233.95. That gap may support investor interest, though price targets are estimates rather than guarantees. Booking Holdings Average Price Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Booking has attracted unusually high attention from Zacks users. The coverage largely discusses investor interest and what may lie ahead rather than reporting a new operating result, estimate revision or corporate action. Booking Holdings Investor Attention
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports note that approximately $10.1 billion in advance deposits primarily belongs to travel providers such as hotels. These customer-related funds can support working capital, but they also represent obligations and should not be treated as Booking’s revenue or cash available for unrestricted use. Booking Advance Deposits

Booking Stock Performance

Booking stock traded up $6.19 during trading on Thursday, reaching $166.87. The company had a trading volume of 3,468,660 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,155,419. The firm has a market capitalization of $125.38 billion, a PE ratio of 18.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.13. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $183.93 and its 200 day simple moving average is $177.59. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 1-year low of $150.14 and a 1-year high of $220.81.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last released its quarterly 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 firm had revenue of $7.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $55.40 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.48 EPS for the current year.

Booking Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 11th were given a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 11th. Booking’s payout ratio is presently 18.58%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BKNG has been the topic of several analyst reports. UBS Group increased their price target on Booking from $266.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed a “reduce” rating and set a $190.00 target price (down from $220.00) on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. Wedbush lifted their price target on Booking from $211.00 to $247.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $188.00 price target on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday, August 26th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $230.00 price target on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have assigned a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $233.95.

Insider Activity

In other Booking news, insider Paulo Pisano sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.02, for a total value of $259,530.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 71,900 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,440,138. This trade represents a 2.04% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Robert J. Mylod, Jr. sold 1,000 shares of Booking stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $200,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 14,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,800,000. This trade represents a 6.67% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 83,050 shares of company stock valued at $17,182,274 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Booking Profile

Booking Holdings Inc is a global online travel and restaurant reservation company headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut. Through its digital platforms, the company helps consumers search for, compare and reserve accommodations, flights, rental cars, vacation packages, attractions and restaurant reservations.

Its portfolio includes Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, KAYAK, OpenTable, Rentalcars.com and the travel metasearch brands Momondo and Cheapflights. Booking.com is primarily known for lodging reservations, while Priceline focuses on travel deals, Agoda serves customers across international markets with a strong presence in Asia, KAYAK and its related brands provide travel search and comparison services, and OpenTable operates a restaurant reservation platform.

The company was founded in 1997 as Priceline.com and was later renamed The Priceline Group before adopting the Booking Holdings name in 2018.