Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG Shares Sold by Hosking Partners LLP

Hosking Partners LLP lessened its holdings in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 5.8% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 352,053 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 21,742 shares during the period. Booking accounts for about 2.0% of Hosking Partners LLP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Hosking Partners LLP’s holdings in Booking were worth $57,353,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bogart Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Booking by 3,475.0% during 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 raised its stake in Booking by 3,550.0% in the second quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC now owns 146 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. First Financial Corp IN raised 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 purchasing an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc raised its stake in Booking by 2,400.0% in the second quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 150 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arlington Trust Co LLC lifted its position in Booking by 2,400.0% during the second quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 175 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Booking from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued a “reduce” rating and issued a $190.00 price target (down from $220.00) on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Booking from $266.00 to $274.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Booking and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $230.00 price objective on shares of Booking and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 16th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have given a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Booking presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $233.71.

Booking Price Performance

Shares of Booking stock opened at $158.38 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $179.02 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $177.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $119.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.13. Booking Holdings Inc. has a one year low of $150.14 and a one year high of $220.81.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The business services provider reported $2.54 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.43 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $7.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.19 billion. Booking had a negative return on equity of 102.96% and a net margin of 25.53%. The business’s revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $55.40 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Booking Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 11th were paid a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 11th. Booking’s payout ratio is presently 18.58%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Ewout L. Steenbergen sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $211.03, for a total transaction of $4,220,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 59,794 shares in the company, valued at $12,618,327.82. This represents a 25.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Paulo Pisano sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $203.48, for a total transaction of $610,440.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 73,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,935,432. This represents a 3.93% 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 sold 84,550 shares of company stock valued at $17,426,864 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Booking Company Profile

Booking Holdings Inc is a global online travel and restaurant-reservation company that connects consumers with travel providers through digital platforms and mobile applications. Its services include accommodations, flights, rental cars, cruises, vacation packages, restaurant reservations and other travel-related offerings.

The company operates a portfolio of well-known brands, including Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, KAYAK, OpenTable, Rentalcars.com and Kayak-associated travel services.