Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Sells 3,116 Shares of Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH reduced its holdings in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 55,636 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 3,116 shares during the period. Booking makes up about 0.5% of Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest position. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned about 0.17% of Booking worth $300,394,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of BKNG. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Booking by 1.1% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 854,838 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $4,936,132,000 after acquiring an additional 9,333 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Booking in the 2nd quarter worth $2,210,917,000. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in shares of Booking by 6.8% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 379,583 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,197,495,000 after buying an additional 24,030 shares during the last quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group raised its position in shares of Booking by 4.9% during the second quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 377,198 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,183,690,000 after buying an additional 17,662 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Booking by 578,824.0% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 289,462 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,675,765,000 after buying an additional 289,412 shares in the last quarter. 92.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on BKNG shares. BNP Paribas set a $6,100.00 price objective on Booking in a report on Monday, November 24th. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their price target on Booking from $6,250.00 to $6,400.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Wall Street Zen raised Booking from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, January 4th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Booking from $5,523.00 to $5,954.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price target on Booking from $5,550.00 to $5,830.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Booking presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $6,225.56.

Booking Trading Down 1.7%

Shares of Booking stock opened at $5,027.00 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $5,188.73 and its 200 day simple moving average is $5,347.54. The company has a market capitalization of $162.02 billion, a PE ratio of 32.67, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.23. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $4,096.23 and a 12 month high of $5,839.41.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The business services provider reported $99.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $95.56 by $3.94. The company had revenue of $9.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.71 billion. Booking had a net margin of 19.37% and a negative return on equity of 134.86%. The firm’s revenue was up 12.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $83.39 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 209.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Booking Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 5th were paid a $9.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 5th. This represents a $38.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Booking’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 24.96%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 15 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5,362.00, for a total transaction of $80,430.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 702 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,764,124. This trade represents a 2.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Robert J. Mylod, Jr. sold 40 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5,000.00, for a total transaction of $200,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,800,000. This trade represents a 4.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 3,324 shares of company stock worth $17,190,323. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

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.