Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG Shares Acquired by Sigma Planning Corp

Sigma Planning Corp increased its stake in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 4,858.7% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,157 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 5,053 shares during the quarter. Sigma Planning Corp’s holdings in Booking were worth $919,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BKNG. Bogart Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Booking by 3,475.0% in the 2nd quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 143 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares during the last quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Booking by 3,550.0% during the second quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC now owns 146 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period. Osbon Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Booking in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. First Financial Corp IN grew its position in Booking by 2,400.0% in the 2nd quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 150 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Roble Belko & Company Inc increased its stake in Booking by 2,400.0% in the 2nd quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 150 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 144 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Booking Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ BKNG opened at $195.69 on Wednesday. Booking Holdings Inc. has a one year low of $150.14 and a one year high of $226.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $147.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.66, a PEG ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.07. The company’s fifty day moving average is $193.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $177.91.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The business services provider reported $2.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $7.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $55.40 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Booking Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 11th will be issued a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 11th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. Booking’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.58%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on BKNG. Truist Financial set a $242.00 price objective on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $188.00 target price on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, August 26th. Wedbush increased their price target on shares of Booking from $211.00 to $247.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $240.00 price objective (up from $215.00) on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Mizuho set a $240.00 price objective on Booking in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $236.70.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Peter J. Millones sold 50,050 shares of Booking stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.59, for a total transaction of $10,389,879.50. Following the completion of the sale, 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Ewout L. Steenbergen sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 59,794 shares in the company, valued at $12,618,327.82. This trade represents a 25.06% 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 80,550 shares of company stock valued at $16,722,744 in the last 90 days. 0.17% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Booking News

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Rosenblatt initiated coverage with a Buy rating and a $245 price target, implying approximately 25% upside from the referenced share price. The firm views Booking as the best-positioned online travel agency despite industry challenges, providing a potentially meaningful catalyst for the shares. Rosenblatt sees Booking as the best-positioned online travel agency
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks characterized Booking as a strong momentum stock based on its style-score framework, reinforcing the case that recent price and fundamental trends could attract momentum-oriented investors. Why Booking is a strong momentum stock
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank brokers raised their earnings estimates for Booking, suggesting improving expectations for the company’s future profitability. Higher forecasts can support valuation, although the article provides no details on the size or rationale of the revisions. Erste Group Bank lifts Booking earnings estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Priceline CEO Brigit Zimmerman discussed travel trends ahead of the Labor Day weekend. The interview may offer insight into demand and booking patterns, but the available report does not specify whether the commentary was favorable or unfavorable for Booking. Priceline CEO discusses travel trends
• Negative Sentiment: Booking has lagged the broader market this year, which could weigh on investor sentiment and highlights concerns about online-travel-sector growth or valuation. Separately, director Paulo Pisano sold 3,000 shares worth about $610,440 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan; the planned nature of the transaction reduces its signaling value, but it remains a modest negative headline.

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.