Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG Shares Sold by ProShare Advisors LLC

ProShare Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 842,698 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 5,765 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.11% of Booking worth $137,284,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Vise Technologies Inc. raised its position in Booking by 11.7% during the 3rd quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 38,436 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $6,262,000 after purchasing an additional 4,011 shares in the last quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Booking by 8.6% during the third quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,669 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $598,000 after buying an additional 292 shares during the period. Summit Global Investments lifted its holdings in shares of Booking by 21.7% in the 3rd quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 13,019 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,121,000 after purchasing an additional 2,318 shares during the last quarter. MGO One Seven LLC grew its position in Booking by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter. MGO One Seven LLC now owns 28,194 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $4,593,000 after buying an additional 1,268 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. grew its position in Booking by 4.4% during the third quarter. Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. now owns 65,980 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $10,749,000 after buying an additional 2,805 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Booking

In other Booking news, VP Peter Millones, Jr. sold 50,050 shares of Booking stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.59, for a total value of $10,389,879.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 375,025 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $77,851,439.75. The trade was a 11.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Robert Mylod, Jr. sold 1,000 shares of Booking stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $200,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 14,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,800,000. This trade represents a 6.67% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 78,425 shares of company stock valued at $16,210,864 in the last ninety days. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Booking Stock Performance

Shares of BKNG stock opened at $148.13 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $171.26 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $177.25. The company has a market capitalization of $111.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.39, a PEG ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 1.13. Booking Holdings Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $146.28 and a fifty-two week high of $220.81.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last issued its earnings results 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 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 company’s revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $55.40 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Booking Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on BKNG. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 target price (up from $240.00) on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $240.00 price target (up from $215.00) on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. TD Cowen raised Booking to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $215.00 target price on Booking and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. 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-four have assigned a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $233.07.

Trending Headlines about Booking

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Booking’s global travel leadership, high margins and strong cash-flow generation remain important supports for the investment case. Its cash position could provide flexibility for share repurchases, investment and other shareholder returns. Booking vs. Coupang: Which Stock Is the Better Buy in November?
• Positive Sentiment: Investors will be watching for continued progress in loyalty adoption and the Connected Trip initiative, which aims to increase customer engagement and cross-selling across accommodations, flights, rental cars and other travel services. Strong execution could improve longer-term growth expectations. The Connected Trip Gamble
• Neutral Sentiment: BKNG has attracted unusually high investor attention and options activity ahead of earnings. This may increase short-term volatility, but the available reports do not indicate whether traders are positioning for a rise or decline. Booking Sees Unusually Large Options Volume
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are focused not only on revenue and earnings per share but also on operating metrics and other key indicators for the September quarter. These estimates could set the bar for the earnings reaction. Exploring Analyst Estimates for Booking Holdings Q3 Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Currency headwinds could reduce the reported value of international bookings and earnings, while travel disruptions may weigh on demand or create additional costs. Booking Holdings Q3 Earnings Ahead
• Negative Sentiment: Higher marketing spending may pressure profitability even if bookings and revenue continue to grow. Investors are therefore likely to scrutinize margins, guidance and management’s outlook. Booking Holdings Q3 Earnings Ahead: What’s in Store for the Stock?
• Negative Sentiment: The shares have declined substantially and are trading near their 12-month low, reflecting elevated expectations risk ahead of the report. Any weak guidance or disappointment in Connected Trip adoption could add further pressure.

Booking 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.