Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG Shares Acquired by Chemistry Wealth Management LLC

Chemistry Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 2,398.5% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 18,839 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 18,085 shares during the period. Chemistry Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Booking were worth $3,358,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Booking by 2,524.0% in the 2nd quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 13,330 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,376,000 after purchasing an additional 12,822 shares during the period. West Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Booking by 2,400.0% during the 2nd quarter. West Financial Advisors LLC now owns 175 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 168 shares during the period. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Booking by 2,660.3% during the 2nd quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 6,404 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,142,000 after buying an additional 6,172 shares during the period. Seilern Investment Management Ltd lifted its stake in Booking by 2,027.0% during the second quarter. Seilern Investment Management Ltd now owns 12,358 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,203,000 after buying an additional 11,777 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rockland Trust Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Booking by 2,400.0% in the second quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 2,500 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $446,000 after buying an additional 2,400 shares during the period. 92.42% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Booking

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

Booking Price Performance

NASDAQ:BKNG opened at $214.42 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $161.11 billion, a PE ratio of 23.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 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 stock’s 50-day moving average is $179.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $176.56.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The business services provider reported $2.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.43 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $7.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.19 billion. Booking had a net margin of 25.53% and a negative return on equity of 102.96%. The firm’s revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $55.40 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 1,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.00, for a total transaction of $216,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 16,508 shares in the company, valued at $3,169,536. The trade was a 6.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Robert J. Mylod, Jr. sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $206.70, for a total transaction of $206,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 15,000 shares in the company, valued at $3,100,500. This trade represents a 6.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 69,625 shares of company stock worth $11,652,075 in the last quarter. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on BKNG shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Booking in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Robert W. Baird set a $230.00 price objective on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $240.00 price objective (up from $215.00) on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday. DA Davidson set a $240.00 target price on shares of Booking in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating and set a $236.00 target price (up from $225.00) on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $234.69.

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.