Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) Shares Acquired by Ethic Inc.

Ethic Inc. increased its position in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 15.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,751 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 650 shares during the quarter. Booking accounts for 0.5% of Ethic Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position. Ethic Inc.’s holdings in Booking were worth $23,605,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BKNG. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc purchased a new position in shares of Booking during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Booking in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new position in Booking during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. acquired a new position in Booking during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Promus Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Booking in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Booking Price Performance

NASDAQ BKNG opened at $5,170.53 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $168.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.88, a PEG ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.42. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $3,180.00 and a 12 month high of $5,337.24. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $4,668.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $4,841.24.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The business services provider reported $24.81 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $17.57 by $7.24. The company had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. Booking had a negative return on equity of 159.34% and a net margin of 24.78%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $20.39 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 209.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, June 6th will be paid a $9.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 6th. This represents a $38.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.74%. Booking’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.89%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BKNG has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $5,900.00 target price on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Booking from $5,100.00 to $5,600.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. JMP Securities boosted their price objective on shares of Booking from $5,600.00 to $5,700.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Cfra raised shares of Booking from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Booking from $5,000.00 to $5,700.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $5,299.29.

Booking Company Profile

Booking Holdings Inc, formerly The Priceline Group Inc, is a provider of travel and restaurant online reservation and related services. The Company, through its online travel companies (OTCs), connects consumers wishing to make travel reservations with providers of travel services across the world. It offers consumers an array of accommodation reservations (including hotels, bed and breakfasts, hostels, apartments, vacation rentals and other properties) through its Booking.com, priceline.com and agoda.com brands.