Sandhill Capital Partners LLC Decreases Holdings in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG)

Sandhill Capital Partners LLC lowered its position in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 0.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 8,887 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 46 shares during the quarter. Booking comprises 2.6% of Sandhill Capital Partners LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Sandhill Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Booking were worth $31,524,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in Booking by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 383,996 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,184,224,000 after acquiring an additional 5,040 shares during the last quarter. Rothschild & Co Wealth Management UK Ltd boosted its stake in Booking by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Rothschild & Co Wealth Management UK Ltd now owns 149,902 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $462,290,000 after purchasing an additional 4,048 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its stake in Booking by 28.8% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 131,052 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $466,166,000 after purchasing an additional 29,316 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Booking by 2,479.0% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 116,777 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $414,234,000 after purchasing an additional 112,249 shares during the period. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Booking in the 4th quarter worth about $3,774,850,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Booking Trading Down 0.4 %

Booking stock traded down $15.04 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $3,502.48. The company had a trading volume of 142,694 shares, compared to its average volume of 267,831. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $3,555.99 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $3,379.22. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $2,456.93 and a 12 month high of $3,918.00. The company has a market capitalization of $119.68 billion, a PE ratio of 29.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.40.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The business services provider reported $32.00 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $29.72 by $2.28. Booking had a negative return on equity of 751.49% and a net margin of 20.08%. The business had revenue of $4.78 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.71 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $24.74 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 175.86 EPS for the current year.

Booking Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 8th were issued a $8.75 dividend. This represents a $35.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th. Booking’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.67%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BKNG has been the subject of several analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on Booking in a research note on Tuesday, January 9th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $4,150.00 target price for the company. Tigress Financial boosted their target price on Booking from $3,855.00 to $4,285.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 28th. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $3,850.00 price target on shares of Booking in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Barclays decreased their price target on Booking from $3,900.00 to $3,800.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 23rd. Finally, JMP Securities lifted their price target on Booking from $3,600.00 to $3,950.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 26th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $3,723.41.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Radakovich Lynn Vojvodich sold 59 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,700.00, for a total transaction of $218,300.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 289 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,069,300. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, Director Radakovich Lynn Vojvodich sold 59 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,700.00, for a total transaction of $218,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 289 shares in the company, valued at $1,069,300. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Paulo Pisano sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,485.00, for a total value of $1,045,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 4,233 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,752,005. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 5,461 shares of company stock valued at $18,815,825 over the last ninety days. 0.15% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Booking

Booking Holdings Inc, formerly The Priceline Group Inc, is a provider of travel and restaurant online reservation and related services. The Company, through its online travel companies (OTCs), connects consumers wishing to make travel reservations with providers of travel services across the world. It offers consumers an array of accommodation reservations (including hotels, bed and breakfasts, hostels, apartments, vacation rentals and other properties) through its Booking.com, priceline.com and agoda.com brands.