Strategic Financial Services Inc. Increases Stock Position in Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG

Strategic Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 2,210.4% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 9,750 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,328 shares during the period. Strategic Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Booking were worth $1,738,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bogart Wealth LLC grew its position in Booking by 3,475.0% during the 2nd quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 143 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares during the last quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Booking by 3,550.0% in the second quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC now owns 146 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Osbon Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Booking during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. First Financial Corp IN boosted its stake in shares of Booking by 2,400.0% during the second quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 150 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 144 shares during the period. Finally, Roble Belko & Company Inc boosted its stake in shares of Booking by 2,400.0% during the second quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 150 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 144 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Booking

In other Booking news, insider Paulo Pisano sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $203.48, for a total value of $610,440.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 73,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,935,432. This trade represents a 3.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Vanessa Wittman sold 1,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was 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 approximately $3,169,536. This trade represents a 6.38% 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 have sold a total of 81,550 shares of company stock valued at $16,922,744 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Booking Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:BKNG opened at $193.29 on Monday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $194.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $178.60. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $150.14 and a 52 week high of $226.10. The company has a market cap of $145.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.39, a PEG ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.07.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.43 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $7.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.19 billion. Booking had a negative return on equity of 102.96% and a net margin of 25.53%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $55.40 EPS. Analysts expect that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.48 EPS for the current year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 11th will be given a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 11th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Booking’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.58%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on BKNG. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $188.00 price target on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday, August 26th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $220.00 price objective on Booking and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $236.00 target price (up from $225.00) on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $250.00 target price on shares of Booking in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $240.00 price target (up from $215.00) on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $236.70.

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.