The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Boosts Stock Position in Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its position in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 3,217.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 759,855 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 736,947 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned about 0.10% of Booking worth $135,437,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of BKNG. Bogart Wealth LLC lifted its position 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 grew its holdings in shares of 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. Osbon Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Booking in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. First Financial Corp IN increased its stake in Booking by 2,400.0% during the 2nd quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 150 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 144 shares during the period. Finally, Roble Belko & Company Inc lifted its holdings in Booking by 2,400.0% during the 2nd quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 150 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. 92.42% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Booking

In other news, Director Robert J. Mylod, Jr. sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $1,000,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 16,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,200,000. This trade represents a 23.81% decrease in their position. The sale 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, insider Paulo Pisano sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $203.48, for a total value of $610,440.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 73,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,935,432. The trade was a 3.93% 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. In the last quarter, insiders sold 81,550 shares of company stock worth $16,922,744. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Booking Stock Down 0.2%

NASDAQ BKNG opened at $173.92 on Friday. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $150.14 and a 52 week high of $225.00. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $193.97 and a two-hundred day moving average of $178.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $130.68 billion, a PE ratio of 19.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.07.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.43 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $7.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.19 billion. Booking had a net margin of 25.53% and a negative return on equity of 102.96%. The company’s revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $55.40 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Booking Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 11th. Booking’s payout ratio is 18.58%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BKNG has been the subject of several recent research reports. Benchmark raised their price target on shares of Booking from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. B. Riley Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $274.00 price objective (up from $264.00) on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $270.00 price objective on shares of Booking in a research note on Monday, August 24th. Wedbush lifted their target price on Booking from $211.00 to $247.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $188.00 target price on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, August 26th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Booking presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $236.70.

About Booking

Booking Holdings Inc is a global provider of online travel and related services. The company connects consumers with accommodations, flights, rental cars, restaurants and travel experiences through a portfolio of digital brands and websites.

Its principal brands include Booking.com, which offers lodging, transportation and travel experiences; Priceline, which provides online booking services for hotels, flights, rental cars and vacation packages; Agoda, which focuses primarily on travel bookings in Asia and other international markets; KAYAK, a travel metasearch engine; OpenTable, a restaurant reservation and management platform; and Rentalcars.com, a global car rental service.

Booking Holdings serves customers, travel providers and restaurants across numerous countries and regions, with a particularly extensive international presence.