5,039 Shares in Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG Acquired by Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A.

Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. bought a new stake in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 5,039 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $898,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bogart Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Booking by 3,475.0% during the second quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 143 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Booking by 3,550.0% in the 2nd quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC now owns 146 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Camelot Portfolios LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Booking in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Osbon Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Booking during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Finally, First Financial Corp IN increased its position in Booking by 2,400.0% during the 2nd quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 150 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. 92.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Booking Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of NASDAQ BKNG opened at $209.87 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $187.71 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $177.15. The stock has a market cap of $157.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.23, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.07. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $150.14 and a 12 month high of $231.80.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last issued its earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The business services provider reported $2.54 earnings per share (EPS) 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 analysts’ expectations of $7.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $55.40 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.47 EPS for the current year.

Booking Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 of this dividend is Friday, September 11th. Booking’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.58%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Booking news, CFO Ewout L. Steenbergen sold 20,000 shares of Booking stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $211.03, for a total transaction of $4,220,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 59,794 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,618,327.82. This trade represents a 25.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, VP Peter J. Millones sold 50,050 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.59, for a total value of $10,389,879.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 375,025 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $77,851,439.75. This trade represents a 11.77% 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 a total of 140,050 shares of company stock valued at $26,341,680 over the last quarter. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Argus raised their price target on Booking from $210.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 10th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $230.00 target price (down from $240.00) on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Mizuho set a $240.00 price target on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, HSBC dropped their price objective on shares of Booking from $309.84 to $298.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $235.72.

Booking 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.