WINTON GROUP Ltd Grows Stake in Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG

WINTON GROUP Ltd boosted its position in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 1,278.3% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 116,795 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 108,321 shares during the quarter. Booking makes up 0.7% of WINTON GROUP Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. WINTON GROUP Ltd’s holdings in Booking were worth $20,818,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of BKNG. Bogart Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Booking by 3,475.0% in 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 in the last quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC raised its position in Booking by 3,550.0% during the second quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC now owns 146 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Osbon Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Booking in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. First Financial Corp IN grew its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Roble Belko & Company Inc increased its stake in shares of Booking by 2,400.0% during the 2nd quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 150 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on BKNG. Susquehanna reaffirmed a “positive” rating and issued a $240.00 target price on shares of Booking in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Booking from $266.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday, August 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $215.00 price objective on Booking and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Mizuho set a $240.00 price target on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $236.70.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Vanessa Wittman sold 1,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.00, for a total transaction of $216,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 16,508 shares in the company, valued at $3,169,536. This represents a 6.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, VP Peter J. Millones sold 50,050 shares of the 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 $77,851,439.75. This trade represents a 11.77% 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. Insiders have sold a total of 81,550 shares of company stock valued at $16,922,744 in the last ninety days. 0.17% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Booking Trading Down 3.8%

Booking stock opened at $173.43 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $194.39 and a 200 day moving average price of $178.77. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $150.14 and a 52 week high of $225.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $130.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.19, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.07.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last issued 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 negative return on equity of 102.96% and a net margin of 25.53%.The firm had revenue of $7.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.19 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $55.40 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.48 EPS for the current year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 11th will be issued a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 11th. Booking’s payout ratio is presently 18.58%.

More Booking News

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Travel demand remains relatively resilient despite geopolitical conflicts and a slower macroeconomic environment, supporting the outlook for Booking’s accommodation and travel-reservation businesses. Booking Holdings Stock: A Travel Stock to Buy Right Now?
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst-oriented coverage continues to characterize Booking as a growth stock, reflecting its scale, profitability and potential for continued expansion in online travel. The company’s most recent reported quarter also exceeded earnings and revenue expectations, providing fundamental support. Why Booking Holdings Is a Strong Growth Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Booking executives recently participated in Goldman Sachs and Citi technology conferences. The transcripts may provide insight into demand trends, artificial intelligence, competition and capital allocation, but the available headlines do not identify a specific new forecast or material change in guidance. Goldman Sachs Conference Transcript Citi Conference Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: The European court rejected Booking’s challenge to the EU veto of its ETraveli acquisition, effectively ending the company’s effort to purchase the flight-booking platform. The ruling removes a potential avenue for expansion and could weigh on investor sentiment regarding Booking’s regulatory exposure and acquisition strategy. Booking Loses Court Fight Against EU Veto of ETraveli Deal

About Booking

Booking Holdings Inc is a global provider of online travel and related services. The company connects consumers with accommodations, flights, rental cars, restaurants and travel experiences through a portfolio of digital brands and websites.

Its principal brands include Booking.com, which offers lodging, transportation and travel experiences; Priceline, which provides online booking services for hotels, flights, rental cars and vacation packages; Agoda, which focuses primarily on travel bookings in Asia and other international markets; KAYAK, a travel metasearch engine; OpenTable, a restaurant reservation and management platform; and Rentalcars.com, a global car rental service.

Booking Holdings serves customers, travel providers and restaurants across numerous countries and regions, with a particularly extensive international presence.