Aberdeen Group plc Boosts Stock Holdings in Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG

Aberdeen Group plc boosted its stake in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 5.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 27,149 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,434 shares during the period. Aberdeen Group plc’s holdings in Booking were worth $155,193,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Booking by 27.3% in the 1st quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 182 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $844,000 after buying an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Booking by 18.6% in the 2nd quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 75,534 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $437,284,000 after buying an additional 11,829 shares in the last quarter. Overbrook Management Corp grew its stake in shares of Booking by 49.5% in the 2nd quarter. Overbrook Management Corp now owns 3,314 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $19,186,000 after buying an additional 1,098 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Booking in the 1st quarter worth $203,000. Finally, United Services Automobile Association purchased a new position in shares of Booking in the 1st quarter worth $3,592,000. 92.42% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Booking Price Performance

Shares of BKNG opened at $5,164.93 on Friday. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 1-year low of $4,096.23 and a 1-year high of $5,839.41. The company has a 50-day moving average of $5,492.50 and a 200 day moving average of $5,317.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $167.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.92, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.35.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The business services provider reported $55.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $50.32 by $5.08. Booking had a net margin of 19.23% and a negative return on equity of 134.19%. The company had revenue of $6.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.54 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $41.90 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.0% on a year-over-year basis. Booking has set its Q3 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 209.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 5th were issued a dividend of $9.60 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 5th. This represents a $38.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. Booking’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Booking to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Booking from $4,720.00 to $5,630.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $6,200.00 target price (up previously from $6,000.00) on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Booking in a report on Saturday, September 27th. Finally, Mizuho began coverage on shares of Booking in a report on Monday, September 29th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $5,975.00 target price for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $5,808.81.

Insider Buying and Selling at Booking

In other Booking news, Director Larry Quinlan sold 64 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5,587.11, for a total transaction of $357,575.04. Following the transaction, the director owned 195 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,089,486.45. This trade represents a 24.71% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 15 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5,500.00, for a total transaction of $82,500.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 747 shares in the company, valued at $4,108,500. This trade represents a 1.97% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 4,195 shares of company stock valued at $23,467,630. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

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.