RD Finance Ltd Buys 5,449 Shares of Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG

RD Finance Ltd increased its stake in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 23.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 28,974 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,449 shares during the period. Booking makes up approximately 4.4% of RD Finance Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding. RD Finance Ltd’s holdings in Booking were worth $4,720,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Booking during the second quarter worth about $11,646,302,000. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Booking by 2,674.6% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 39,420,711 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $7,026,348,000 after buying an additional 37,999,915 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new position in shares of Booking during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,691,186,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in shares of Booking during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,370,455,000. Finally, Ninety One UK Ltd grew its position in shares of Booking by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 6,489,929 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,057,274,000 after buying an additional 64,584 shares during the period. 92.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Booking Stock Performance

Shares of BKNG opened at $153.14 on Tuesday. Booking Holdings Inc. has a twelve month low of $150.14 and a twelve month high of $220.81. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $177.22 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $178.93. The firm has a market cap of $115.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.95, a PEG ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.13.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last released 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 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 company earned $55.40 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Booking Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 11th were paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 11th. Booking’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.58%.

Insider Activity at Booking

In other news, VP Peter J. Millones sold 50,050 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.59, for a total value of $10,389,879.50. Following the sale, the vice president owned 375,025 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $77,851,439.75. The trade was a 11.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Paulo Pisano sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $203.48, for a total transaction of $610,440.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 73,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,935,432. The trade was a 3.93% 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 83,425 shares of company stock worth $17,210,864. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Benchmark upped their price target on Booking from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Mizuho set a $240.00 price objective on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Piper Sandler restated a “neutral” rating and set a $215.00 price objective (up from $195.00) on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Booking and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Wedbush upped their target price on shares of Booking from $211.00 to $247.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have given a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $233.71.

About Booking

Booking Holdings Inc is a global online travel and restaurant-reservation company that connects consumers with travel providers through digital platforms and mobile applications. Its services include accommodations, flights, rental cars, cruises, vacation packages, restaurant reservations and other travel-related offerings.

The company operates a portfolio of well-known brands, including Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, KAYAK, OpenTable, Rentalcars.com and Kayak-associated travel services.