9,488,249 Shares in Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG Acquired by Deutsche Bank AG

Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new stake in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 9,488,249 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,691,186,000. Booking accounts for 0.5% of Deutsche Bank AG’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. Deutsche Bank AG owned about 1.26% of Booking at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Bogart Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Booking by 3,475.0% in the second quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 143 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC grew its position in shares of Booking by 3,550.0% in the 2nd quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC now owns 146 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Camelot Portfolios LLC bought a new position in shares of Booking during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Osbon Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Booking during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, First Financial Corp IN boosted its stake in Booking by 2,400.0% in the second quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 150 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. 92.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Booking Trading Down 3.4%

Shares of NASDAQ BKNG opened at $204.76 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $184.85 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $176.85. The stock has a market cap of $153.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.66, a PEG ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.07. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $150.14 and a 12 month high of $231.80.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $7.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $55.40 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.47 EPS for the current year.

Booking Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Robert J. Mylod, Jr. sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $206.70, for a total value of $206,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 15,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,100,500. The trade was a 6.25% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available 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 company’s 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 in the company, valued at $3,169,536. The trade was a 6.38% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 89,625 shares of company stock valued at $15,872,675 over the last quarter. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BKNG has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on Booking from $244.00 to $220.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price target (up from $240.00) on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Truist Financial set a $242.00 target price on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Piper Sandler restated a “neutral” rating and set a $215.00 price target (up from $195.00) on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Booking currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $235.72.

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.