Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) Stock Position Raised by HF Advisory Group LLC

HF Advisory Group LLC lifted its position in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 16.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 596 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the quarter. Booking makes up about 1.4% of HF Advisory Group LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. HF Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in Booking were worth $2,114,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in BKNG. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Booking in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,068,137,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its stake in Booking by 3,557.5% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 142,166 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $333,870,000 after buying an additional 138,279 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its stake in Booking by 61.6% in the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 295,891 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $596,303,000 after buying an additional 112,831 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Booking by 2,479.0% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 116,777 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $414,234,000 after buying an additional 112,249 shares during the period. Finally, Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Booking in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $222,919,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Booking Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ:BKNG traded up $34.78 during trading on Thursday, hitting $3,478.69. 27,813 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 272,264. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 1-year low of $2,456.93 and a 1-year high of $3,918.00. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $3,586.29 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $3,364.25. The firm has a market cap of $118.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.19, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.40.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The business services provider reported $32.00 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $29.72 by $2.28. Booking had a net margin of 20.08% and a negative return on equity of 751.49%. The company had revenue of $4.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.71 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $24.74 EPS. Booking’s revenue was up 18.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 175.86 EPS for the current year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 8th were paid a dividend of $8.75 per share. This represents a $35.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.01%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. Booking’s payout ratio is 29.67%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Paulo Pisano sold 300 shares of Booking stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,485.00, for a total transaction of $1,045,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 4,233 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,752,005. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Paulo Pisano sold 300 shares of Booking stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,485.00, for a total transaction of $1,045,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 4,233 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,752,005. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 4,302 shares of Booking stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,422.75, for a total transaction of $14,724,670.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 33,548 shares in the company, valued at approximately $114,826,417. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 5,461 shares of company stock valued at $18,815,825 in the last 90 days. 0.15% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on BKNG shares. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $3,850.00 price target on shares of Booking in a research note on Friday, February 23rd. Seaport Res Ptn reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Booking in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of Booking from $3,450.00 to $4,200.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. StockNews.com raised shares of Booking from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on shares of Booking from $3,900.00 to $3,800.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 23rd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Booking currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $3,723.41.

About Booking

Booking Holdings Inc, formerly The Priceline Group Inc, is a provider of travel and restaurant online reservation and related services. The Company, through its online travel companies (OTCs), connects consumers wishing to make travel reservations with providers of travel services across the world. It offers consumers an array of accommodation reservations (including hotels, bed and breakfasts, hostels, apartments, vacation rentals and other properties) through its Booking.com, priceline.com and agoda.com brands.