Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG Shares Bought by The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 3,217.0% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 759,855 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 736,947 shares during the quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company’s holdings in Booking were worth $135,437,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in Booking by 1,615.6% during the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 13,931 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,483,000 after acquiring an additional 13,119 shares during the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG purchased a new position in shares of Booking in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $11,687,000. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC increased its holdings in shares of Booking by 2,860.8% in the second quarter. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC now owns 12,554 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,238,000 after purchasing an additional 12,130 shares during the period. Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Booking in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $361,463,000. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Booking by 1,663.9% during the second quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 28,698 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $5,115,000 after purchasing an additional 27,071 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Booking Price Performance

Shares of BKNG stock opened at $173.92 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $193.97 and its 200 day moving average price is $178.85. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 1-year low of $150.14 and a 1-year high of $225.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $130.68 billion, a PE ratio of 19.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.07.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The business services provider reported $2.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.43 by $0.11. Booking had a negative return on equity of 102.96% and a net margin of 25.53%.The firm had revenue of $7.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $55.40 earnings per share. Booking’s revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Booking Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 11th will be issued a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 11th. Booking’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.58%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BKNG has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Mizuho set a $240.00 price objective on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Argus raised their target price on shares of Booking from $210.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Susquehanna restated a “positive” rating and issued a $240.00 target price on shares of Booking in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. B. Riley Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $274.00 target price (up from $264.00) on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $188.00 price target on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, August 26th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $236.70.

Insider Transactions at Booking

In related news, insider Paulo Pisano sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $203.48, for a total transaction of $610,440.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 73,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,935,432. The trade was a 3.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Robert Mylod, Jr. sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $200,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 14,000 shares in the company, valued at $2,800,000. The trade was a 6.67% 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. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 81,550 shares of company stock valued at $16,922,744. 0.17% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Booking Company Profile

Booking Holdings Inc is a global provider of online travel and related services. The company connects consumers with accommodations, flights, rental cars, restaurants and travel experiences through a portfolio of digital brands and websites.

Its principal brands include Booking.com, which offers lodging, transportation and travel experiences; Priceline, which provides online booking services for hotels, flights, rental cars and vacation packages; Agoda, which focuses primarily on travel bookings in Asia and other international markets; KAYAK, a travel metasearch engine; OpenTable, a restaurant reservation and management platform; and Rentalcars.com, a global car rental service.

Booking Holdings serves customers, travel providers and restaurants across numerous countries and regions, with a particularly extensive international presence.