Raiffeisen Bank International AG Raises Stock Position in Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG

Raiffeisen Bank International AG lifted its holdings in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 2,577.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 272,811 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 262,620 shares during the period. Raiffeisen Bank International AG’s holdings in Booking were worth $49,763,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Knollwood Investment Advisory LLC raised its position in Booking by 2,400.0% during the second quarter. Knollwood Investment Advisory LLC now owns 21,825 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,890,000 after purchasing an additional 20,952 shares during the period. Syon Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Booking by 2,227.9% in the 2nd quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 9,498 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,693,000 after purchasing an additional 9,090 shares during the last quarter. denkapparat Operations GmbH boosted its holdings in shares of Booking by 1,189.1% in the 2nd quarter. denkapparat Operations GmbH now owns 3,326 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $593,000 after purchasing an additional 3,068 shares during the period. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Booking by 666.6% in the 2nd quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 35,002 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $6,395,000 after purchasing an additional 30,436 shares during the period. Finally, Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Booking by 2,071.1% during the 2nd quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC now owns 5,406 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $964,000 after purchasing an additional 5,157 shares during the last quarter. 92.42% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Peter Millones, Jr. sold 50,050 shares of Booking stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.59, for a total transaction of $10,389,879.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 375,025 shares in the company, valued at $77,851,439.75. This trade represents a 11.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Robert Mylod, Jr. sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 16,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,200,000. This trade represents a 23.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. Insiders have sold a total of 81,550 shares of company stock worth $16,922,744 over the last ninety days. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BKNG has been the topic of several recent research reports. Mizuho set a $240.00 price target on Booking in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Wedbush lifted their price objective on shares of Booking from $211.00 to $247.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $236.00 target price (up from $225.00) on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Truist Financial set a $242.00 target price on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 target price (up from $240.00) on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $236.70.

Booking News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Rosenblatt initiated coverage with a Strong Buy recommendation and reportedly set a $245 price target, indicating substantial potential upside from recent trading levels. The bullish view may support BKNG by highlighting its positioning among online travel companies. Rosenblatt initiates coverage of Booking Holdings
• Positive Sentiment: Booking’s capital-return profile remains attractive. A recent analysis noted that the company’s dividend and share repurchases together produce a total shareholder yield above 7%, which could appeal to value and income-oriented investors. Booking Holdings dividend and buyback analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Fundamentally, the latest quarter included earnings of $2.54 per share versus a $2.43 consensus estimate and revenue of $7.35 billion versus expectations of $7.19 billion. Revenue grew 8.1% year over year, while Booking declared a quarterly dividend of $0.42 per share.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary is generally favorable, but the stock’s post-earnings performance indicates that strong results have not yet translated into sustained upward momentum. Investors are likely focused on updated forecasts and the outlook for travel demand.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider selling adds a modest negative headline. Director Robert Mylod Jr. sold 1,000 shares for $200,000, following insider Paulo Pisano’s sale of 3,000 shares for approximately $610,440. Both transactions were made under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans, limiting their value as signals of deteriorating business prospects. Booking Holdings director stock sale

Booking Stock Down 2.2%

BKNG opened at $195.13 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $194.07 and a 200 day moving average of $178.29. The stock has a market cap of $146.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.60, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.07. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 52-week low of $150.14 and a 52-week high of $226.10.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last released its 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 analyst estimates of $7.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $55.40 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 11th will be paid a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 11th. Booking’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.58%.

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.