Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG Shares Bought by Czech National Bank

Czech National Bank raised its stake in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 2,412.4% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 220,560 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 211,781 shares during the period. Czech National Bank’s holdings in Booking were worth $39,313,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Bar Harbor Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of Booking by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Bar Harbor Wealth Management now owns 611 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,272,000 after purchasing an additional 2 shares during the period. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Booking by 22.2% during the 4th quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 11 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $59,000 after buying an additional 2 shares during the last quarter. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Booking by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 43 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $232,000 after acquiring an additional 2 shares during the period. BLB&B Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Booking by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. BLB&B Advisors LLC now owns 52 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $278,000 after acquiring an additional 2 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Equity Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Booking by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Equity Wealth Partners LLC now owns 101 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $543,000 after acquiring an additional 2 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Peter J. Millones sold 62,500 shares of Booking stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.67, for a total transaction of $10,229,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 425,075 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,572,025.25. This trade represents a 12.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Robert J. Mylod, Jr. sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $206.70, for a total transaction of $206,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 15,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,100,500. This represents a 6.25% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 69,625 shares of company stock worth $11,652,075 over the last ninety days. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BKNG has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Truist Financial set a $242.00 price objective on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday. Susquehanna reiterated a “positive” rating and set a $240.00 target price on shares of Booking in a research report on Thursday. UBS Group raised their price target on Booking from $266.00 to $274.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and issued a $230.00 price target on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Booking in a report on Thursday, June 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $234.69.

Booking Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of Booking stock opened at $207.39 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $178.49 and a two-hundred day moving average of $176.73. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $150.14 and a 12-month high of $231.80. The stock has a market cap of $155.83 billion, a PE ratio of 22.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.07.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The business services provider reported $2.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $55.40 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 11th will be issued a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 11th. Booking’s dividend payout ratio is 18.58%.

Key Headlines Impacting Booking

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 earnings and revenue beat expectations: Booking reported adjusted earnings of $2.54 per share versus the $2.43 consensus, while revenue rose 8.1% year over year to $7.35 billion, exceeding estimates of $7.19 billion. Growth in room nights, gross bookings and EBITDA pointed to continued travel demand. Booking Holdings Q2 results top estimates as travel demand remains resilient
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised targets and maintained bullish ratings: UBS lifted its target to $274 and kept a Buy rating, while Wedbush raised its target to $247 with an Outperform rating. Benchmark increased its target to $250, and BTIG reaffirmed its Buy rating with a $250 target. Booking Given New Price Target at UBS Group
• Positive Sentiment: Operational initiatives remain supportive: Management highlighted early benefits from artificial-intelligence personalization, higher savings and growth in its connected-trip offerings, which could support efficiency and longer-term expansion. BKNG Q2 Earnings Call Centers on Resilience, AI and Savings
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend declared: Booking declared a quarterly dividend of $0.42 per share, payable September 30 to shareholders of record September 11. The modest 0.8% yield is supportive of shareholder returns but unlikely to materially affect valuation.
• Neutral Sentiment: Director stock sale: Director Robert J. Mylod Jr. sold 1,000 shares worth $206,700 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. Because the sale was scheduled in advance and leaves him with 15,000 shares, it is not necessarily a bearish signal. SEC Form 4 filing
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term concerns temper the optimism: Third-quarter revenue guidance was viewed as soft, room-night growth is slowing, and marketing expenses are rising faster than revenue. Geopolitical volatility and competition from Google also remain risks, while some commentary warned that the recent rally has left the stock technically overbought. Why Analysts Are Bullish on a Stock That’s Down 20%

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.