Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG Stock: Maxi Investments CY Ltd Raises Holdings

Maxi Investments CY Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 40.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 44,806 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 12,806 shares during the quarter. Booking makes up approximately 1.3% of Maxi Investments CY Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Maxi Investments CY Ltd’s holdings in Booking were worth $7,299,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Apollon Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Booking by 6.2% in the first quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 957 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $4,031,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its stake in shares of Booking by 4.0% during the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 1,497 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $6,304,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Booking by 3.9% during the first quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,503 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $6,329,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Mill Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Booking by 1.1% during the first quarter. Mill Capital Management LLC now owns 5,721 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $24,087,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Van Diest Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Booking by 30.1% in the first quarter. Van Diest Capital LLC now owns 281 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,185,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Booking Trading Down 1.7%

Shares of NASDAQ BKNG opened at $153.14 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $115.07 billion, a PE ratio of 16.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.13. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 1 year low of $150.14 and a 1 year high of $220.81. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $177.22 and its 200-day moving average is $178.93.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The business services provider reported $2.54 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.43 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $7.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.19 billion. Booking had a net margin of 25.53% and a negative return on equity of 102.96%. Booking’s revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $55.40 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 11th were paid a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 11th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Booking’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.58%.

Insider Transactions at Booking

In other Booking news, insider Paulo Pisano sold 3,000 shares of Booking stock in a transaction on Monday, August 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $203.48, for a total transaction of $610,440.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 73,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,935,432. The trade was a 3.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, VP Peter J. Millones sold 50,050 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.59, for a total transaction of $10,389,879.50. Following the sale, the vice president owned 375,025 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $77,851,439.75. The trade was a 11.77% 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. In the last quarter, insiders sold 83,425 shares of company stock valued at $17,210,864. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on BKNG shares. Robert W. Baird set a $230.00 price objective on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. DA Davidson set a $240.00 price objective on Booking in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Melius Research set a $225.00 price objective on Booking in a research report on Tuesday, October 20th. Argus lifted their target price on Booking from $210.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Booking from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have issued a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $233.71.

About Booking

Booking Holdings Inc is a global online travel and restaurant-reservation company that connects consumers with travel providers through digital platforms and mobile applications. Its services include accommodations, flights, rental cars, cruises, vacation packages, restaurant reservations and other travel-related offerings.

The company operates a portfolio of well-known brands, including Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, KAYAK, OpenTable, Rentalcars.com and Kayak-associated travel services.