United Capital Financial Advisors LLC Buys Shares of 114,274 Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG

United Capital Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 114,274 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $20,368,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Osbon Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Booking during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Booking in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Strive Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Booking during the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Swiss RE Ltd. purchased a new position in Booking during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Booking in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Booking Stock Down 3.0%

Booking stock opened at $202.56 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $191.50 and its 200 day simple moving average is $177.49. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $150.14 and a 52 week high of $226.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $152.20 billion, a PE ratio of 22.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.07.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last announced its earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The business services provider reported $2.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.43 by $0.11. Booking had a net margin of 25.53% and a negative return on equity of 102.96%. The company had revenue of $7.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $55.40 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.47 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 11th will be given a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 11th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Booking’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.58%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Booking news, VP Peter J. Millones sold 50,050 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.59, for a total value of $10,389,879.50. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 375,025 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $77,851,439.75. This trade represents a 11.77% 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 Booking stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.00, for a total value of $216,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 16,508 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,169,536. This trade represents a 6.38% 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 ninety days, insiders sold 77,550 shares of company stock valued at $16,112,304. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $236.00 target price (up from $225.00) on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Booking from $266.00 to $274.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $250.00 price objective on shares of Booking in a report on Thursday. Susquehanna reiterated a “positive” rating and set a $240.00 target price on shares of Booking in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $230.00 target price on Booking in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Booking has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $236.45.

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.