Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG Stock Holdings Boosted by Maxi Investments CY Ltd

Maxi Investments CY Ltd raised its stake in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 40.0% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 44,806 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,806 shares during the quarter. Booking comprises about 1.3% of Maxi Investments CY Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. Maxi Investments CY Ltd’s holdings in Booking were worth $7,299,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bogart Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Booking by 3,475.0% during the 2nd quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 143 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 139 shares during the last quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC increased 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 increased 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 increased 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, Kings Path Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Booking in the third quarter worth $29,000. 92.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Booking

In other news, Director Vanessa Wittman sold 375 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $211.00, for a total value of $79,125.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 16,133 shares in the company, valued at $3,404,063. The trade was a 2.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Paulo Pisano sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.06, for a total value of $244,590.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 70,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,479,424. This represents a 2.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 83,425 shares of company stock worth $17,210,864. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Booking Stock Down 1.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:BKNG opened at $153.14 on Tuesday. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $150.14 and a 12 month high of $220.81. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $177.22 and its 200 day simple moving average is $178.93. The firm has a market cap of $115.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.95, a PEG ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.13.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $7.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.19 billion. Booking had a net margin of 25.53% and a negative return on equity of 102.96%. The firm’s revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $55.40 EPS. Research analysts expect that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Booking in a report on Monday. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of Booking in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Mizuho set a $240.00 price objective on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price objective (up from $240.00) on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $230.00 price objective on Booking in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have given a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Booking presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $233.71.

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.