Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG Stock Sold by Curated Wealth Partners LLC

Curated Wealth Partners LLC lessened its stake in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 98.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,829 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 260,317 shares during the quarter. Curated Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in Booking were worth $624,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BKNG. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in Booking in the 2nd quarter valued at $11,646,302,000. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Booking by 2,674.6% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 39,420,711 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $7,026,348,000 after acquiring an additional 37,999,915 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new position in Booking in the second quarter valued at $1,691,186,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in shares of Booking in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,370,455,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in Booking by 2,525.5% in the second quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 6,101,866 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,087,597,000 after buying an additional 5,869,459 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Booking Price Performance

NASDAQ BKNG opened at $165.80 on Friday. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $150.14 and a 12 month high of $220.81. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $183.10 and its 200 day simple moving average is $177.55. The company has a market capitalization of $124.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.35, a PEG ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.13.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last announced its earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The business services provider reported $2.54 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.43 by $0.11. Booking had a negative return on equity of 102.96% and a net margin of 25.53%. The business had revenue of $7.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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. On average, analysts anticipate that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 11th were issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 11th. Booking’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.58%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Peter Millones, Jr. sold 50,050 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.59, for a total transaction of $10,389,879.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 375,025 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $77,851,439.75. This represents a 11.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Robert Mylod, Jr. sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $1,000,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 16,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,200,000. This trade represents a 23.81% decrease in their position. 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 quarter, insiders sold 83,050 shares of company stock worth $17,182,274. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on BKNG shares. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Booking from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Mizuho set a $240.00 price objective on Booking in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Susquehanna restated a “positive” rating and issued a $240.00 price target on shares of Booking in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued a “reduce” rating and issued a $190.00 target price (down from $220.00) on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. Finally, Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $270.00 price objective on shares of Booking in a report on Monday, August 24th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have issued a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $233.95.

Key Booking News

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Booking launched Vayo, an AI-powered personal travel agent now entering private beta, and plans to invest $100 million in the platform. Management is positioning Vayo as a tool that organizes complete trips, learns user preferences and continues assisting travelers after booking. The initiative could create new customer-engagement and monetization opportunities over time. Booking Holdings Launches Vayo with Planned $100M Investment
• Positive Sentiment: Booking recently advanced even as the broader market declined, suggesting company-specific buying interest. The move may reflect investor enthusiasm for Vayo and confidence in Booking’s travel-market position. Booking Holdings Advances While Market Declines
• Positive Sentiment: Booking has an average analyst price target of $233.95, well above the stock’s recent trading level, indicating substantial potential upside if the company meets expectations. Price targets are estimates, not guarantees. Booking Holdings Stock Has Average Price Target of $233.95
• Neutral Sentiment: BKNG has attracted unusually high attention among Zacks users, but the reports do not identify a new earnings forecast, upgrade or fundamental catalyst. The increased visibility may support trading interest without necessarily changing valuation. Booking Holdings Is Attracting Investor Attention
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports noting approximately $10.1 billion in advance deposits emphasize that much of the money belongs to hotels and other travel providers. This supports Booking’s role as a platform but should not be interpreted as equivalent to revenue or cash available to shareholders. Booking Advance Deposits

Booking Company Profile

Booking Holdings Inc is a global online travel and restaurant reservation company headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut. Through its digital platforms, the company helps consumers search for, compare and reserve accommodations, flights, rental cars, vacation packages, attractions and restaurant reservations.

Its portfolio includes Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, KAYAK, OpenTable, Rentalcars.com and the travel metasearch brands Momondo and Cheapflights. Booking.com is primarily known for lodging reservations, while Priceline focuses on travel deals, Agoda serves customers across international markets with a strong presence in Asia, KAYAK and its related brands provide travel search and comparison services, and OpenTable operates a restaurant reservation platform.

The company was founded in 1997 as Priceline.com and was later renamed The Priceline Group before adopting the Booking Holdings name in 2018.