Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG Shares Purchased by Mayar Capital Ltd.

Mayar Capital Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 9.1% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 38,470 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,220 shares during the period. Booking makes up approximately 7.7% of Mayar Capital Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. Mayar Capital Ltd.’s holdings in Booking were worth $6,857,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Camelot Portfolios LLC bought a new position in shares of Booking in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Osbon Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Booking in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Booking during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Strive Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Booking in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Swiss RE Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Booking during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Institutional investors own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Booking Stock Performance

BKNG stock opened at $212.06 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $159.34 billion, a PE ratio of 23.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.07. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $184.00 and its 200-day moving average price is $177.04. Booking Holdings Inc. has a one year low of $150.14 and a one year high of $231.80.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The business services provider reported $2.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.43 by $0.11. Booking had a negative return on equity of 102.96% and a net margin of 25.53%.The business had revenue of $7.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $55.40 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Booking Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 11th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Booking’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.58%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 1,125 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.00, for a total value of $216,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 16,508 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,169,536. This represents a 6.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Robert J. Mylod, Jr. sold 1,000 shares of Booking stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $206.70, for a total value of $206,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 15,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,100,500. The trade was a 6.25% 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. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 89,625 shares of company stock worth $15,872,675. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. HSBC cut their target price on Booking from $309.84 to $298.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Wedbush increased their price objective on Booking from $211.00 to $247.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Truist Financial set a $242.00 price objective on Booking in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Mizuho set a $240.00 price target on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Booking from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Booking currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $235.72.

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.