KBC Group NV Sells 19,106 Shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG)

KBC Group NV lessened its position in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 39.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 29,513 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 19,106 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Booking were worth $124,313,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Booking during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $5,322,600,000. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Booking by 4,565.4% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 62,610 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $227,143,000 after purchasing an additional 61,268 shares during the last quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. increased its holdings in Booking by 106.0% in the second quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. now owns 71,334 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $282,590,000 after purchasing an additional 36,710 shares during the period. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd raised its position in Booking by 2,315.8% during the 2nd quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 36,793 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $145,755,000 after purchasing an additional 35,270 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Booking in the 2nd quarter valued at about $125,615,000. 92.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Booking Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ BKNG opened at $4,987.44 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $4,287.85 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $3,959.25. Booking Holdings Inc. has a twelve month low of $3,079.50 and a twelve month high of $5,069.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $165.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.38.

Booking Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 6th will be paid a $8.75 dividend. This represents a $35.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.70%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 6th. Booking’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.75%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BKNG has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on Booking from $3,560.00 to $4,900.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of Booking from $5,000.00 to $5,500.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Booking from $3,900.00 to $5,250.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Argus downgraded shares of Booking from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Booking from $4,200.00 to $4,600.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $4,749.83.

Insider Buying and Selling at Booking

In other news, insider Paulo Pisano sold 100 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,887.61, for a total value of $388,761.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 3,787 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,722,379.07. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.