Nixon Peabody Trust Co. Grows Holdings in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG)

Nixon Peabody Trust Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 589.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,988 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,264 shares during the period. Booking makes up 2.0% of Nixon Peabody Trust Co.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Nixon Peabody Trust Co.’s holdings in Booking were worth $17,694,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Activest Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Booking during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Naples Money Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Booking in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Booking in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Booking in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Bourgeon Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Booking during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. 92.42% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Booking news, Director Radakovich Lynn Vojvodich sold 22 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,583.07, for a total transaction of $78,827.54. Following the sale, the director now owns 211 shares in the company, valued at approximately $756,027.77. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Booking news, insider Paulo Pisano sold 227 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,580.75, for a total value of $812,830.25. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 4,233 shares in the company, valued at $15,157,314.75. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Radakovich Lynn Vojvodich sold 22 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,583.07, for a total value of $78,827.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 211 shares in the company, valued at $756,027.77. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 5,651 shares of company stock worth $19,485,975. Insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on BKNG shares. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Booking from $3,550.00 to $3,900.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 23rd. Edward Jones restated a “hold” rating on shares of Booking in a research report on Friday, February 16th. HSBC increased their price target on shares of Booking from $4,220.00 to $4,230.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 7th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Booking from $3,435.00 to $3,494.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Booking in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $3,876.96.

Booking Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:BKNG traded up $42.67 during trading on Friday, hitting $3,795.35. 151,804 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 265,662. The stock has a market capitalization of $128.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.14, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.40. Booking Holdings Inc. has a one year low of $2,456.93 and a one year high of $3,918.00. The business’s fifty day moving average is $3,597.08 and its 200-day moving average is $3,490.14.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The business services provider reported $20.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $14.03 by $6.36. The firm had revenue of $4.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.25 billion. Booking had a net margin of 21.81% and a negative return on equity of 288.35%. Booking’s revenue was up 16.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $11.60 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 178.54 EPS for the current year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Friday, June 7th will be paid a dividend of $8.75 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 7th. This represents a $35.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.92%. Booking’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.25%.

About Booking

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.