Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG Stock: Inspire Trust Co. N.A. Raises Position

Inspire Trust Co. N.A. raised its position in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 14.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 40,125 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,000 shares during the quarter. Inspire Trust Co. N.A.’s holdings in Booking were worth $6,537,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in Booking by 1,615.6% during the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 13,931 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,483,000 after purchasing an additional 13,119 shares during the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG purchased a new position in Booking in the second quarter valued at approximately $11,687,000. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC raised its holdings in Booking by 2,860.8% during the second quarter. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC now owns 12,554 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,238,000 after purchasing an additional 12,130 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. raised its stake in Booking by 2,549.7% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 88,949 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $16,077,000 after acquiring an additional 85,592 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Venture Visionary Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Booking by 53.3% in the 3rd quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 61,803 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $10,068,000 after purchasing an additional 21,496 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other 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 transaction of $10,389,879.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 375,025 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $77,851,439.75. This trade represents a 11.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Paulo Pisano sold 1,500 shares of Booking stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.06, for a total transaction of $244,590.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 70,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,479,424. This trade represents a 2.09% 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. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 57,425 shares of company stock valued at $11,783,564. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Booking Stock Performance

Shares of BKNG opened at $159.26 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $164.85 and a 200 day moving average price of $175.68. The company has a market capitalization of $118.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.17. Booking Holdings Inc. has a one year low of $146.28 and a one year high of $220.81.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 3rd. The business services provider reported $4.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.49 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $9.79 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.55 billion. Booking had a net margin of 25.52% and a negative return on equity of 89.54%. The company’s revenue was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $99.50 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 11th. Booking’s payout ratio is presently 18.12%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Booking from $210.00 to $170.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 4th. Robert W. Baird set a $230.00 target price on Booking in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Benchmark boosted their target price on Booking from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and set a $230.00 target price on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reduced their price objective on shares of Booking from $170.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $222.35.

About Booking

Booking Holdings Inc. is an online travel company that connects travelers with accommodations and other travel services. Through its digital platforms, customers can search for and book hotels, vacation rentals, flights, rental cars, attractions and other travel experiences. The company operates a portfolio of consumer brands, including Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, KAYAK, Rentalcars.com and OpenTable. Its services span accommodation reservations, travel search and comparison, car rentals, and restaurant reservations.