Meeder Advisory Services Inc. Makes New $3.88 Million Investment in Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG

Meeder Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund bought 21,789 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $3,884,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Booking during the second quarter worth about $31,000. Tiemann Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Booking during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $219,000. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI acquired a new stake in Booking in the second quarter valued at $4,961,000. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp acquired a new position in Booking in the second quarter worth about $210,000. Finally, K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc acquired a new position in shares of Booking in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $276,000. 92.42% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Booking

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Booking’s KAYAK brand reported that international airfares for UK travelers during September and October average 26% below peak-season prices. More affordable “shoulder season” travel could support booking volumes and reinforce expectations for resilient demand across Booking’s lodging and travel platforms. KAYAK shoulder season travel research
• Positive Sentiment: Recent analyst commentary remains broadly constructive. Booking has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $235.72, while Argus raised its target to $245 and maintained a buy rating. The company also exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, with revenue rising 8.1% year over year. Booking analyst ratings and stock analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Booking declared a quarterly dividend of $0.42 per share, equivalent to $1.68 annually and a yield of approximately 0.8%. The payout is modest but signals continued capital returns; it is unlikely to be a major driver for the stock given the company’s growth-oriented valuation. Booking dividend announcement
• Negative Sentiment: Vice President Peter Millones sold 50,050 shares for approximately $10.4 million, reducing his holdings by 11.77%. Director Vanessa Ames Wittman also sold 375 shares for about $79,000. Both transactions were conducted under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans, which makes them a weaker bearish signal; Millones still retains roughly $77.9 million in BKNG stock. Booking insider share sales

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Bank of America reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $234.00 target price on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Evercore set a $245.00 price target on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Benchmark lifted their price target on Booking from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Booking from $224.00 to $208.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $215.00 target price on Booking and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Booking presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $235.72.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Ewout L. Steenbergen sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $211.03, for a total value of $4,220,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 59,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,618,327.82. This represents a 25.06% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, VP Peter J. Millones sold 50,050 shares of Booking stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.59, for a total value of $10,389,879.50. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 375,025 shares in the company, valued at approximately $77,851,439.75. This trade represents a 11.77% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 140,050 shares of company stock valued at $26,341,680 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Booking Price Performance

BKNG stock opened at $208.20 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $156.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.07. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 52-week low of $150.14 and a 52-week high of $231.80. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $185.74 and its 200-day simple moving average is $177.06.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The business services provider reported $2.54 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.43 by $0.11. Booking had a net margin of 25.53% and a negative return on equity of 102.96%. The firm had revenue of $7.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $55.40 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Booking Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 11th will be given a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 11th. Booking’s payout ratio is presently 18.58%.

Booking Company Profile

Booking Holdings Inc is a global online travel company that operates a portfolio of consumer brands and technology platforms that facilitate the search for and booking of travel services. The company’s businesses focus on accommodations, transportation and related travel services through consumer-facing websites and apps as well as partner distribution channels. Booking Holdings was originally founded as Priceline in the late 1990s and adopted the Booking Holdings name in 2018; it is headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut.

Its core offerings include online reservations for hotels, vacation rentals and other lodging; flight and car rental search and booking; and ancillary services that support travel planning and on-property experiences.