MSH Capital Advisors LLC Invests $471,000 in Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG

MSH Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 2,644 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $471,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of BKNG. Bigelow Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Booking by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Bigelow Investment Advisors LLC now owns 112 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $600,000 after acquiring an additional 2 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its holdings in Booking by 1.7% during the second quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 121 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $700,000 after acquiring an additional 2 shares during the period. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Booking by 30.0% in the fourth quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 13 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 3 shares during the last quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN grew its position in shares of Booking by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN now owns 377 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,019,000 after purchasing an additional 3 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA grew its position in shares of Booking by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA now owns 53 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $284,000 after purchasing an additional 3 shares during the last quarter. 92.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Booking Stock Up 2.3%

BKNG stock opened at $213.00 on Thursday. Booking Holdings Inc. has a twelve month low of $150.14 and a twelve month high of $231.80. The company has a market cap of $160.04 billion, a PE ratio of 23.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.07. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $186.78 and its 200 day simple moving average is $177.12.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The business services provider reported $2.54 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.43 by $0.11. Booking had a negative return on equity of 102.96% and a net margin of 25.53%.The firm had revenue of $7.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $55.40 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.47 EPS for the current year.

Booking Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 11th will be given 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 payout ratio is currently 18.58%.

Key Booking News

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Booking’s KAYAK brand reported that international airfares for U.K. travelers in September and October are averaging 26% below peak-season levels. Cheaper “shoulder-season” travel could encourage additional bookings and support demand across Booking’s accommodation and travel platforms. KAYAK shoulder-season travel research
• Positive Sentiment: Recent fundamentals remain supportive. Booking’s latest quarterly revenue rose 8.1% year over year to $7.35 billion and earnings exceeded analyst expectations. Analysts maintain a broadly favorable view, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $235.72, above recent trading levels. Booking growth-stock analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Booking declared a quarterly dividend of $0.42 per share, or $1.68 annually, representing an approximately 0.8% yield. The payout signals ongoing shareholder returns but is modest and is unlikely to materially affect the stock’s near-term direction.
• Negative Sentiment: Booking Vice President Peter Millones sold 50,050 shares worth approximately $10.4 million, reducing his position by 11.77%. Director Vanessa Ames Wittman separately sold 375 shares for about $79,000. Both transactions were executed under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans, reducing their significance as bearish signals; Millones still retains roughly $77.9 million in BKNG stock. Booking insider share sales

Insider Transactions at Booking

In related news, VP Peter J. Millones sold 50,050 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.59, for a total value of $10,389,879.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 375,025 shares in the company, valued at approximately $77,851,439.75. This represents a 11.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 375 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $211.00, for a total value of $79,125.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 16,133 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,404,063. This trade represents a 2.27% 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 140,050 shares of company stock valued at $26,341,680. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. HSBC cut their price objective on Booking from $309.84 to $298.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Gordon Haskett lifted their price target on Booking from $217.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Booking in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Booking from $244.00 to $220.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Booking from $266.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research 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 assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.