Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG Shares Sold by J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG cut its position in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 65.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,085 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 7,572 shares during the quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG’s holdings in Booking were worth $17,196,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Western Trust Bank increased its stake in Booking by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. First Western Trust Bank now owns 60 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $324,000 after buying an additional 2 shares during the period. CGN Advisors LLC boosted its position in Booking by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. CGN Advisors LLC now owns 57 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $305,000 after buying an additional 2 shares during the last quarter. Howard Financial Services LTD. boosted its position in Booking by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Howard Financial Services LTD. now owns 140 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $750,000 after buying an additional 2 shares during the last quarter. Traynor Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Booking by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Traynor Capital Management Inc. now owns 187 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,003,000 after acquiring an additional 2 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norden Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Booking by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 322 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,725,000 after acquiring an additional 2 shares in the last quarter. 92.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Booking Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ BKNG opened at $178.39 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $138.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.07. Booking Holdings Inc. has a twelve month low of $150.14 and a twelve month high of $231.80. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $168.72 and a 200-day simple moving average of $180.00.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $5.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.52 billion. Booking had a net margin of 22.23% and a negative return on equity of 117.14%. The firm’s revenue was up 16.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.99 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th were given a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 5th. Booking’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.11%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on BKNG shares. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $215.00 price target (down from $240.00) on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Gordon Haskett raised their price objective on Booking from $217.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Piper Sandler set a $195.00 price objective on Booking in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on Booking from $210.00 to $202.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Booking from $224.00 to $208.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $227.26.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Peter J. Millones sold 62,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $69,572,025.25. This represents a 12.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 1,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.00, for a total transaction of $216,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 16,050 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,081,600. This represents a 6.55% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders sold 80,351 shares of company stock valued at $13,545,706. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Booking Company 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.