Quantitative Investment Management LLC Has $3.66 Million Stock Position in Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG

Quantitative Investment Management LLC raised its position in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 1,008.6% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 20,521 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 18,670 shares during the quarter. Quantitative Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Booking were worth $3,657,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bogart Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Booking by 3,475.0% in the second quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 143 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 139 shares during the last quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC boosted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Osbon Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Booking during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. First Financial Corp IN grew 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 worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Roble Belko & Company Inc increased its holdings in Booking by 2,400.0% during the 2nd quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 150 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. 92.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Booking from $266.00 to $274.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $240.00 target price (up from $215.00) on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Robert W. Baird set a $230.00 price target on Booking in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price target (up from $240.00) on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and set a $230.00 price objective on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $236.45.

Insider Buying and Selling at Booking

In other news, CFO Ewout L. Steenbergen sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $211.03, for a total value of $4,220,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 59,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,618,327.82. This represents a 25.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 375 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $211.00, for a total value of $79,125.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 16,133 shares in the company, valued at $3,404,063. This represents a 2.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 77,550 shares of company stock worth $16,112,304. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Booking Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:BKNG opened at $205.63 on Monday. Booking Holdings Inc. has a one year low of $150.14 and a one year high of $226.10. The company has a 50 day moving average of $192.18 and a 200-day moving average of $177.64. The stock has a market cap of $154.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.07.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The business services provider reported $2.54 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $7.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $55.40 earnings per share. Booking’s revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Booking Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 11th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Booking’s payout ratio is presently 18.58%.

About Booking

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.