Abbrea Capital LLC Grows Position in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG)

Abbrea Capital LLC lifted its position in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 4.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 194 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 9 shares during the quarter. Abbrea Capital LLC’s holdings in Booking were worth $688,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BKNG. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in shares of Booking by 1.3% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 383,996 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,184,224,000 after purchasing an additional 5,040 shares during the last quarter. Rothschild & Co Wealth Management UK Ltd lifted its holdings in Booking by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Rothschild & Co Wealth Management UK Ltd now owns 149,902 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $462,290,000 after purchasing an additional 4,048 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its holdings in Booking by 28.8% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 131,052 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $466,166,000 after purchasing an additional 29,316 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Booking by 2,479.0% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 116,777 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $414,234,000 after purchasing an additional 112,249 shares during the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Booking during the fourth quarter worth $3,774,850,000. 92.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Booking Stock Down 0.4 %

BKNG stock traded down $15.04 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $3,502.48. 141,851 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 267,822. The company has a market cap of $119.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.40. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $2,456.93 and a 52 week high of $3,918.00. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $3,555.99 and its 200-day moving average price is $3,379.22.

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

Booking Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 8th were paid a dividend of $8.75 per share. This represents a $35.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. Booking’s payout ratio is currently 29.67%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on BKNG. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Booking from $3,580.00 to $4,250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Booking from $3,548.00 to $3,435.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 23rd. Ascendiant Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Booking from $3,700.00 to $3,900.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 29th. Barclays cut their price target on Booking from $3,900.00 to $3,800.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 23rd. Finally, JMP Securities upped their price objective on Booking from $3,600.00 to $3,950.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 26th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $3,723.41.

Insider Transactions at Booking

In related news, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 4,302 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,422.75, for a total transaction of $14,724,670.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 33,548 shares in the company, valued at $114,826,417. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 750 shares of Booking stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,534.10, for a total value of $2,650,575.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 26,971 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $95,318,211.10. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 4,302 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 33,548 shares in the company, valued at approximately $114,826,417. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 5,461 shares of company stock worth $18,815,825. Corporate insiders own 0.15% of the company’s stock.

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.