Trust Co. of Vermont Makes New Investment in Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG

Trust Co. of Vermont acquired a new position in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 61,246 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $10,916,000.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BKNG. Bogart Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Booking by 3,475.0% during the 2nd quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 143 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 139 shares during the period. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC lifted its holdings in Booking by 3,550.0% in the second quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC now owns 146 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the period. Camelot Portfolios LLC bought a new position in Booking in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Osbon Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Booking in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, First Financial Corp IN grew its holdings in Booking by 2,400.0% during the 2nd quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 150 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares during the period. 92.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Booking Stock Performance

BKNG opened at $204.76 on Tuesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $184.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $176.85. The firm has a market cap of $153.85 billion, a PE ratio of 22.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.07. Booking Holdings Inc. has a twelve month low of $150.14 and a twelve month high of $231.80.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The business services provider reported $2.54 earnings per share 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.19 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $55.40 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 11th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Booking’s payout ratio is currently 18.58%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Booking news, Director Robert J. Mylod, Jr. sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 16,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,200,000. The trade was a 23.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 1,125 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was 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 ownership of the stock. 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 have sold 89,625 shares of company stock valued at $15,872,675. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on BKNG shares. Evercore set a $245.00 target price on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $220.00 price target on Booking and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $215.00 price objective on Booking and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $250.00 price objective on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Booking from $224.00 to $208.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $235.72.

Booking Company 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.