59,575 Shares in Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG Purchased by HS Management Partners LLC

HS Management Partners LLC bought a new stake in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor bought 59,575 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $10,619,000. Booking accounts for about 3.6% of HS Management Partners LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Booking during the 2nd quarter worth about $45,000. RHS Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Booking in the second quarter valued at approximately $282,000. Alpine Woods Capital Investors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Booking in the second quarter valued at approximately $2,813,000. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Booking during the second quarter valued at approximately $3,884,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Booking during the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 92.42% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Booking

In related news, VP Peter J. Millones sold 62,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.67, for a total value of $10,229,375.00. Following the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Robert J. Mylod, Jr. sold 5,000 shares of Booking stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction 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 trade represents a 23.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 140,050 shares of company stock worth $26,341,680. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Booking from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Booking from $224.00 to $208.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Barclays set a $210.00 price target on Booking and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Evercore set a $245.00 price objective on Booking in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $215.00 target price on Booking and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Booking presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $235.72.

Booking Trading Up 1.7%

BKNG stock opened at $208.20 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $185.74 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $177.06. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $150.14 and a 12-month high of $231.80. The company has a market cap of $156.44 billion, a PE ratio of 23.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.07.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The business services provider reported $2.54 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.43 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $7.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.19 billion. Booking had a negative return on equity of 102.96% and a net margin of 25.53%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $55.40 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

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

Booking News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Booking’s KAYAK brand reported that international airfares for UK travelers during September and October average 26% below peak-season prices. More affordable “shoulder season” travel could support booking volumes and reinforce expectations for resilient demand across Booking’s lodging and travel platforms. KAYAK shoulder season travel research
• Positive Sentiment: Recent analyst commentary remains broadly constructive. Booking has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $235.72, while Argus raised its target to $245 and maintained a buy rating. The company also exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, with revenue rising 8.1% year over year. Booking analyst ratings and stock analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Booking declared a quarterly dividend of $0.42 per share, equivalent to $1.68 annually and a yield of approximately 0.8%. The payout is modest but signals continued capital returns; it is unlikely to be a major driver for the stock given the company’s growth-oriented valuation. Booking dividend announcement
• Negative Sentiment: Vice President Peter Millones sold 50,050 shares for approximately $10.4 million, reducing his holdings by 11.77%. Director Vanessa Ames Wittman also sold 375 shares for about $79,000. Both transactions were conducted under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans, which makes them a weaker bearish signal; Millones still retains roughly $77.9 million in BKNG stock. Booking insider share sales

Booking Profile

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.