Wynn Capital LLC Increases Stake in Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG

Wynn Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 2,454.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,266 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,099 shares during the period. Wynn Capital LLC’s holdings in Booking were worth $760,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. J. Stern & Co. LLP boosted its stake in shares of Booking by 191,965.8% during the fourth quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 2,832,970 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $15,171,489,000 after purchasing an additional 2,831,495 shares during the period. Bank of Nova Scotia grew its position in shares of Booking by 1,497.3% in the 1st quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 870,520 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,665,168,000 after buying an additional 816,022 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in shares of Booking by 66,209.8% in the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 659,783 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $117,600,000 after buying an additional 658,788 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Booking during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,271,041,000. Finally, Czech National Bank raised its holdings in Booking by 2,412.4% in the 2nd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 220,560 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $39,313,000 after purchasing an additional 211,781 shares in the last quarter. 92.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 1,125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 directly owned 16,508 shares in the company, valued at $3,169,536. This trade represents a 6.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Robert J. Mylod, Jr. sold 5,000 shares of Booking stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $1,000,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 16,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,200,000. The trade was a 23.81% 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 have sold 69,625 shares of company stock valued at $11,652,075 in the last ninety days. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on BKNG shares. Gordon Haskett lifted their price objective on Booking from $217.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Argus set a $210.00 price objective on Booking and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Booking from $266.00 to $274.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings upgraded Booking from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $220.00 price target on Booking and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $234.69.

Booking Stock Up 0.2%

BKNG opened at $207.39 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $178.49 and a 200-day moving average price of $176.73. Booking Holdings Inc. has a twelve month low of $150.14 and a twelve month high of $231.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $155.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.95, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.07.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The business services provider reported $2.54 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.43 by $0.11. Booking had a net margin of 25.53% and a negative return on equity of 102.96%. The company had revenue of $7.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $55.40 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Booking Announces Dividend

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

Trending Headlines about Booking

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 earnings and revenue beat expectations: Booking reported adjusted earnings of $2.54 per share versus the $2.43 consensus, while revenue rose 8.1% year over year to $7.35 billion, exceeding estimates of $7.19 billion. Growth in room nights, gross bookings and EBITDA pointed to continued travel demand. Booking Holdings Q2 results top estimates as travel demand remains resilient
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised targets and maintained bullish ratings: UBS lifted its target to $274 and kept a Buy rating, while Wedbush raised its target to $247 with an Outperform rating. Benchmark increased its target to $250, and BTIG reaffirmed its Buy rating with a $250 target. Booking Given New Price Target at UBS Group
• Positive Sentiment: Operational initiatives remain supportive: Management highlighted early benefits from artificial-intelligence personalization, higher savings and growth in its connected-trip offerings, which could support efficiency and longer-term expansion. BKNG Q2 Earnings Call Centers on Resilience, AI and Savings
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend declared: Booking declared a quarterly dividend of $0.42 per share, payable September 30 to shareholders of record September 11. The modest 0.8% yield is supportive of shareholder returns but unlikely to materially affect valuation.
• Neutral Sentiment: Director stock sale: Director Robert J. Mylod Jr. sold 1,000 shares worth $206,700 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. Because the sale was scheduled in advance and leaves him with 15,000 shares, it is not necessarily a bearish signal. SEC Form 4 filing
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term concerns temper the optimism: Third-quarter revenue guidance was viewed as soft, room-night growth is slowing, and marketing expenses are rising faster than revenue. Geopolitical volatility and competition from Google also remain risks, while some commentary warned that the recent rally has left the stock technically overbought. Why Analysts Are Bullish on a Stock That’s Down 20%

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.