Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) Shares Purchased by Evoke Wealth LLC

Evoke Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 13.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 123 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the quarter. Evoke Wealth LLC’s holdings in Booking were worth $612,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc purchased a new position in Booking during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Booking during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Promus Capital LLC purchased a new position in Booking during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. boosted its holdings in Booking by 600.0% during the 4th quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 7 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 6 shares during the period. Finally, Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new position in Booking during the 4th quarter valued at about $42,000. 92.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Booking Trading Down 2.0 %

NASDAQ:BKNG opened at $4,471.51 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $146.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.84, a PEG ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.40. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $4,803.32 and its 200-day simple moving average is $4,691.22. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $3,180.00 and a 12-month high of $5,337.24.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The business services provider reported $41.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $35.82 by $5.73. Booking had a negative return on equity of 159.34% and a net margin of 24.78%. The business had revenue of $5.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.18 billion. Research analysts forecast that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 209.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Booking Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a $9.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. This is an increase from Booking’s previous quarterly dividend of $8.75. This represents a $38.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.86%. Booking’s payout ratio is 22.19%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Cfra upgraded Booking from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Baird R W upgraded Booking to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. UBS Group raised their target price on Booking from $5,560.00 to $5,960.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Booking from $5,155.00 to $5,900.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Booking from $5,575.00 to $5,750.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $5,370.43.

About Booking

Booking Holdings Inc, formerly The Priceline Group Inc, is a provider of travel and restaurant online reservation and related services. The Company, through its online travel companies (OTCs), connects consumers wishing to make travel reservations with providers of travel services across the world. It offers consumers an array of accommodation reservations (including hotels, bed and breakfasts, hostels, apartments, vacation rentals and other properties) through its Booking.com, priceline.com and agoda.com brands.