Professional Advisory Services Inc. Sells 151 Shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG)

Professional Advisory Services Inc. reduced its position in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 2.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,338 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 151 shares during the period. Booking comprises about 4.1% of Professional Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 4th largest position. Professional Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Booking were worth $29,199,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of BKNG. Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new position in Booking in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. acquired a new position in Booking in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Promus Capital LLC acquired a new position in Booking in the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda acquired a new position in Booking in the 4th quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Roxbury Financial LLC acquired a new position in Booking in the 4th quarter worth about $42,000. 92.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Booking Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of BKNG stock opened at $5,614.61 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $4,990.30 and a two-hundred day moving average of $4,932.90. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $3,180.00 and a 12 month high of $5,639.70. The company has a market capitalization of $182.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.41.

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

Booking Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 6th will be given 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 dividend yield of 0.68%. Booking’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.89%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on BKNG shares. BTIG Research raised Booking from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $5,500.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $5,900.00 price objective on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. B. Riley increased their price objective on Booking from $6,000.00 to $6,100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Booking from $4,567.00 to $4,692.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Booking from $5,000.00 to $5,700.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Booking presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $5,377.33.

About Booking

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.