Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG Stock Bought by Vest Financial LLC

Vest Financial LLC raised its holdings in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 18.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 312,673 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 49,244 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC’s holdings in Booking were worth $50,938,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of BKNG. Bender Robert & Associates grew its holdings in Booking by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Bender Robert & Associates now owns 45,727 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $7,449,000 after buying an additional 1,220 shares in the last quarter. Kings Path Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Booking in the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Booking during the 3rd quarter worth $338,000. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Booking by 15.1% during the 3rd quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 137,559 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $22,410,000 after acquiring an additional 18,035 shares during the period. Finally, Albion Financial Group UT purchased a new position in shares of Booking during the 3rd quarter worth $202,000. 92.42% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Booking Trading Down 3.4%

NASDAQ BKNG opened at $158.38 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $119.00 billion, a PE ratio of 17.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.13. Booking Holdings Inc. has a twelve month low of $150.14 and a twelve month high of $220.81. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $179.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $177.43.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The business services provider reported $2.54 earnings per share (EPS) 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 firm had revenue of $7.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.19 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $55.40 EPS. Booking’s revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.48 EPS for the current year.

Booking Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 11th were paid a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 11th. Booking’s payout ratio is 18.58%.

Insider Transactions at Booking

In other news, Director Robert Mylod, Jr. sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $1,000,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 16,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,200,000. This represents a 23.81% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Ewout L. Steenbergen sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $211.03, for a total transaction of $4,220,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 59,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,618,327.82. The trade was a 25.06% 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. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 84,550 shares of company stock worth $17,426,864. 0.17% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on BKNG shares. Piper Sandler reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $215.00 price objective (up from $195.00) on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Bank of America restated a “buy” rating and set a $234.00 price objective on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Truist Financial set a $216.00 target price on shares of Booking and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 30th. B. Riley Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $274.00 target price (up from $264.00) on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Benchmark boosted their target price on shares of Booking from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have assigned a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $233.71.

Booking Company Profile

Booking Holdings Inc is a global online travel and restaurant-reservation company that connects consumers with travel providers through digital platforms and mobile applications. Its services include accommodations, flights, rental cars, cruises, vacation packages, restaurant reservations and other travel-related offerings.

The company operates a portfolio of well-known brands, including Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, KAYAK, OpenTable, Rentalcars.com and Kayak-associated travel services.