Financial Enhancement Group LLC Has $18.46 Million Stake in Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG

Financial Enhancement Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 2,623.6% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 4,385 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,224 shares during the period. Booking comprises 2.3% of Financial Enhancement Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest holding. Financial Enhancement Group LLC’s holdings in Booking were worth $18,462,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new position in Booking in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Daytona Street Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Booking in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Legacy Bridge LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Booking during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Camelot Portfolios LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Booking during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Osbon Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Booking during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. 92.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Booking Stock Performance

Shares of Booking stock opened at $180.84 on Thursday. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 52-week low of $150.14 and a 52-week high of $233.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $140.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a fifty day moving average of $169.23 and a 200-day moving average of $182.94.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $5.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.52 billion. Booking had a net margin of 22.23% and a negative return on equity of 117.14%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 16.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.99 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be given a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. Booking’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.11%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Peter J. Millones sold 62,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.67, for a total value of $10,229,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 425,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $69,572,025.25. The trade was a 12.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 1,125 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.00, for a total value of $216,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 16,050 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,081,600. This represents a 6.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 80,351 shares of company stock valued at $13,545,706. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BKNG has been the subject of several research reports. Mizuho cut their target price on shares of Booking from $230.00 to $220.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Booking from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. DA Davidson dropped their price target on Booking from $240.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $230.00 price target (down from $240.00) on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Piper Sandler set a $195.00 price objective on Booking in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. One equities 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $227.14.

Booking 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.