Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. Buys 108,182 Shares of Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG

Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 2,284.7% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 112,917 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 108,182 shares during the period. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Booking were worth $20,126,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. J. Stern & Co. LLP grew its holdings in shares of Booking by 191,965.8% during the 4th quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 2,832,970 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $15,171,489,000 after acquiring an additional 2,831,495 shares during the period. Bank of Nova Scotia lifted its stake in shares of Booking by 1,497.3% in the 1st quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 870,520 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,665,168,000 after purchasing an additional 816,022 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in shares of Booking by 66,209.8% in the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 659,783 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $117,600,000 after purchasing an additional 658,788 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Booking during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,271,041,000. Finally, Czech National Bank boosted its position in shares of Booking by 2,412.4% during the second quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 220,560 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $39,313,000 after purchasing an additional 211,781 shares in the last quarter. 92.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Booking Stock Performance

NASDAQ:BKNG opened at $214.42 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $161.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.73, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.07. Booking Holdings Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $150.14 and a fifty-two week high of $231.80. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $179.43 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $176.77.

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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $55.40 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.33 EPS for the current year.

Booking Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 11th will be given a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 11th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Booking’s dividend payout ratio is 18.58%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on BKNG. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $215.00 price objective on Booking and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Booking from $266.00 to $274.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. DA Davidson set a $240.00 target price on shares of Booking in a research report on Thursday. Susquehanna reiterated a “positive” rating and issued a $240.00 price target on shares of Booking in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Booking from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $234.69.

More Booking News

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly results exceeded expectations: Booking reported adjusted earnings of $2.54 per share, above the $2.43 consensus estimate, while revenue increased 8.1% year over year to $7.35 billion, surpassing forecasts of $7.19 billion. The results suggested resilient travel demand and helped support the stock’s advance.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst optimism strengthened: UBS raised its price target to $274, while Wedbush, Benchmark and BTIG maintained bullish ratings with targets ranging from $247 to $250. The analyst actions reinforce expectations for additional upside following the earnings report. Booking Given New Price Target at UBS Group
• Positive Sentiment: Longer-term growth initiatives remain supportive: Management cited early benefits from artificial-intelligence personalization, cost savings and its connected-trip strategy, potentially improving efficiency and expanding customer engagement. Is Booking Holdings a Buying Opportunity?
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend provides modest shareholder support: Booking declared a quarterly dividend of $0.42 per share, payable September 30 to shareholders of record September 11. The annualized yield of approximately 0.8% is unlikely to materially change the investment case.
• Neutral Sentiment: Director sale was scheduled in advance: Director Robert Mylod Jr. sold 1,000 shares for $206,700 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. He continues to own 15,000 shares, limiting the significance of the transaction as a bearish signal. Booking Director Stock Sale
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term outlook is less robust: Investors remain cautious about soft third-quarter revenue guidance, moderating room-night growth and marketing expenses rising faster than revenue. Competition from Google, geopolitical uncertainty and technically overbought conditions could limit further gains after the recent rally. Why Analysts Are Bullish on Booking

Insider Buying and Selling at Booking

In other Booking news, VP Peter J. Millones sold 62,500 shares of Booking stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.67, for a total value of $10,229,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 425,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $69,572,025.25. This trade represents a 12.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 1,125 shares of the business’s 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 completion of 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 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 three months, insiders have sold 69,625 shares of company stock worth $11,652,075. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

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.