Everpar Advisors LLC Acquires 3,430 Shares of Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG

Everpar Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 2,485.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,568 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 3,430 shares during the quarter. Everpar Advisors LLC’s holdings in Booking were worth $636,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Booking Price Performance

BKNG stock opened at $214.42 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $179.43 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $176.56. Booking Holdings Inc. has a one year low of $150.14 and a one year high of $231.80. The stock has a market cap of $161.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.07.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The business services provider reported $2.54 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.43 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $7.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.19 billion. Booking had a net margin of 25.53% and a negative return on equity of 102.96%. The company’s revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $55.40 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Booking Announces Dividend

The business 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 yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 11th. Booking’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.58%.

Key Booking News

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly results exceeded expectations: Booking reported adjusted earnings of $2.54 per share, above the $2.43 consensus estimate, while revenue increased 8.1% year over year to $7.35 billion, surpassing forecasts of $7.19 billion. The results suggested resilient travel demand and helped support the stock’s advance.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst optimism strengthened: UBS raised its price target to $274, while Wedbush, Benchmark and BTIG maintained bullish ratings with targets ranging from $247 to $250. The analyst actions reinforce expectations for additional upside following the earnings report. Booking Given New Price Target at UBS Group
• Positive Sentiment: Longer-term growth initiatives remain supportive: Management cited early benefits from artificial-intelligence personalization, cost savings and its connected-trip strategy, potentially improving efficiency and expanding customer engagement. Is Booking Holdings a Buying Opportunity?
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend provides modest shareholder support: Booking declared a quarterly dividend of $0.42 per share, payable September 30 to shareholders of record September 11. The annualized yield of approximately 0.8% is unlikely to materially change the investment case.
• Neutral Sentiment: Director sale was scheduled in advance: Director Robert Mylod Jr. sold 1,000 shares for $206,700 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. He continues to own 15,000 shares, limiting the significance of the transaction as a bearish signal. Booking Director Stock Sale
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term outlook is less robust: Investors remain cautious about soft third-quarter revenue guidance, moderating room-night growth and marketing expenses rising faster than revenue. Competition from Google, geopolitical uncertainty and technically overbought conditions could limit further gains after the recent rally. Why Analysts Are Bullish on Booking

Insider Buying and Selling at Booking

In other news, VP Peter J. Millones sold 62,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $69,572,025.25. This represents a 12.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Robert J. Mylod, Jr. sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $1,000,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 16,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,200,000. This trade represents a 23.81% decrease in their position. 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 69,625 shares of company stock valued at $11,652,075 in the last three months. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on BKNG. Truist Financial set a $242.00 price target on Booking in a research report on Wednesday. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on Booking from $244.00 to $220.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. DA Davidson set a $240.00 target price on shares of Booking in a research note on Thursday. Susquehanna restated a “positive” rating and set a $240.00 target price on shares of Booking in a report on Thursday. Finally, Gordon Haskett upped their price target on shares of Booking from $217.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $234.69.

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.