Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG Stock Holdings Boosted by Vest Financial LLC

Vest Financial LLC raised its position in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 18.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 312,673 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 49,244 shares during the quarter. Vest Financial LLC’s holdings in Booking were worth $50,938,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of BKNG. Bender Robert & Associates lifted its holdings in Booking by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Bender Robert & Associates now owns 45,727 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $7,449,000 after buying an additional 1,220 shares in the last quarter. Kings Path Partners LLC purchased a new position in Booking in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Booking in the third quarter worth $338,000. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. grew its stake in shares of Booking by 15.1% in the third quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 137,559 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $22,410,000 after acquiring an additional 18,035 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Albion Financial Group UT acquired a new position in shares of Booking in the third quarter worth $202,000. 92.42% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Vanessa Wittman sold 1,125 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.00, for a total value of $216,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 16,508 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,169,536. This represents a 6.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Ewout L. Steenbergen sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $211.03, for a total value of $4,220,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 59,794 shares in the company, valued at $12,618,327.82. This trade represents a 25.06% 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. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 84,550 shares of company stock valued at $17,426,864. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on BKNG. Susquehanna reaffirmed a “positive” rating and set a $240.00 price objective on shares of Booking in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $230.00 target price on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Booking from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Truist Financial set a $216.00 target price on Booking and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 30th. Finally, Wedbush upped their price target on Booking from $211.00 to $247.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Three research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $233.71.

Booking Stock Down 3.4%

NASDAQ BKNG opened at $158.38 on Thursday. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $150.14 and a 52 week high of $220.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $119.00 billion, a PE ratio of 17.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.13. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $179.02 and a two-hundred day moving average of $177.43.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The business services provider reported $2.54 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.43 by $0.11. Booking had a net margin of 25.53% and a negative return on equity of 102.96%. The company had revenue of $7.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $55.40 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 11th were paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 11th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Booking’s payout ratio is presently 18.58%.

Booking Profile

Booking Holdings Inc is a global online travel and restaurant-reservation company that connects consumers with travel providers through digital platforms and mobile applications. Its services include accommodations, flights, rental cars, cruises, vacation packages, restaurant reservations and other travel-related offerings.

The company operates a portfolio of well-known brands, including Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, KAYAK, OpenTable, Rentalcars.com and Kayak-associated travel services.