abrdn plc Has $65.63 Million Stock Holdings in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG)

abrdn plc raised its stake in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 49.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,502 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,096 shares during the quarter. abrdn plc owned 0.05% of Booking worth $65,631,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Litman Gregory Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Booking by 7.9% during the 4th quarter. Litman Gregory Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,677 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $9,496,000 after buying an additional 197 shares during the period. Geneva Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Booking during the fourth quarter valued at $4,161,000. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Booking in the 4th quarter valued at $131,000. Naples Money Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Booking in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Finally, Zhang Financial LLC increased its position in shares of Booking by 6.4% during the 4th quarter. Zhang Financial LLC now owns 348 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,234,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. 92.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Booking Trading Down 0.4 %

NASDAQ:BKNG opened at $3,414.82 on Friday. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 1-year low of $2,456.93 and a 1-year high of $3,918.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $116.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.95, a PEG ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.40. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $3,571.22 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $3,369.43.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 22nd. The business services provider reported $32.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $29.72 by $2.28. Booking had a net margin of 20.08% and a negative return on equity of 751.49%. The business had revenue of $4.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.71 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $24.74 EPS. Booking’s quarterly revenue was up 18.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 175.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Booking Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 8th were given a $8.75 dividend. This represents a $35.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th. Booking’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.67%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BKNG has been the topic of several research analyst reports. JMP Securities upped their price objective on shares of Booking from $3,600.00 to $3,950.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Booking from $3,560.00 to $3,950.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 23rd. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. Ascendiant Capital Markets raised their target price on Booking from $3,700.00 to $3,900.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 29th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Booking from $4,000.00 to $4,200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $3,723.41.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Booking news, Director Radakovich Lynn Vojvodich sold 22 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,583.07, for a total value of $78,827.54. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 211 shares in the company, valued at $756,027.77. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 4,302 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,422.75, for a total value of $14,724,670.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 33,548 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $114,826,417. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Radakovich Lynn Vojvodich sold 22 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,583.07, for a total value of $78,827.54. Following the transaction, the director now owns 211 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $756,027.77. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 5,461 shares of company stock valued at $18,815,825. 0.15% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Booking Profile

Booking Holdings Inc, formerly The Priceline Group Inc, is a provider of travel and restaurant online reservation and related services. The Company, through its online travel companies (OTCs), connects consumers wishing to make travel reservations with providers of travel services across the world. It offers consumers an array of accommodation reservations (including hotels, bed and breakfasts, hostels, apartments, vacation rentals and other properties) through its Booking.com, priceline.com and agoda.com brands.