EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG

EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 1,525.1% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,989 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 4,682 shares during the quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Booking were worth $889,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC increased its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 142 shares during the period. Strive Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Booking during the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Camelot Portfolios LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Booking during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Swiss RE Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Booking during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Booking in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. 92.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Booking Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ BKNG opened at $212.06 on Friday. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 1 year low of $150.14 and a 1 year high of $231.80. The company’s 50-day moving average is $184.00 and its 200 day moving average is $176.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $159.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.07.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last released its quarterly 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 net margin of 25.53% and a negative return on equity of 102.96%. The company had revenue of $7.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $55.40 earnings per share. Booking’s revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

The company 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Booking’s dividend payout ratio is 18.58%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on BKNG. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Barclays set a $210.00 price objective on Booking and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. HSBC cut their price objective on Booking from $309.84 to $298.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $240.00 target price (up from $215.00) on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Mizuho set a $240.00 target price on Booking in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $235.72.

Insider Transactions at Booking

In other news, VP Peter J. Millones sold 62,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.67, for a total value of $10,229,375.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 425,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $69,572,025.25. This represents a 12.82% decrease in their position. The sale 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 Robert J. Mylod, Jr. sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were 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 owned 16,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,200,000. The trade was a 23.81% 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. Insiders have sold a total of 89,625 shares of company stock worth $15,872,675 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Booking 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.