Russell Investments Group Ltd. Has $235.04 Million Stock Position in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. reduced its position in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 3.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 66,248 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 2,062 shares during the period. Booking accounts for approximately 0.4% of Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest holding. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Booking were worth $235,036,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Booking by 2,479.0% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 116,777 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $414,234,000 after acquiring an additional 112,249 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Booking during the fourth quarter worth $3,774,850,000. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Booking by 139.8% during the third quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 65,179 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $201,166,000 after acquiring an additional 37,994 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in shares of Booking by 41.8% during the third quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 101,736 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $317,313,000 after acquiring an additional 30,015 shares during the period. Finally, Rathbones Group PLC raised its holdings in shares of Booking by 161.5% during the third quarter. Rathbones Group PLC now owns 39,215 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $120,937,000 after acquiring an additional 24,219 shares during the period. 92.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Booking Stock Up 0.5 %

BKNG traded up $18.60 during trading on Friday, reaching $3,521.08. 146,026 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 193,606. The stock has a market capitalization of $119.79 billion, a PE ratio of 29.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.40. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $3,547.11 and its 200 day moving average is $3,383.62. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $2,456.93 and a 12 month high of $3,918.00.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The business services provider reported $32.00 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $29.72 by $2.28. The business had revenue of $4.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.71 billion. Booking had a net margin of 20.08% and a negative return on equity of 751.49%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 18.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $24.74 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 176.1 EPS for the current year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 8th were issued a dividend of $8.75 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. This represents a $35.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.99%. Booking’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.67%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 4,302 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,422.75, for a total transaction of $14,724,670.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 33,548 shares in the company, valued at $114,826,417. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 4,302 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,422.75, for a total transaction of $14,724,670.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 33,548 shares in the company, valued at $114,826,417. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Radakovich Lynn Vojvodich sold 22 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,583.07, for a total transaction of $78,827.54. Following the transaction, the director now owns 211 shares in the company, valued at approximately $756,027.77. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 5,461 shares of company stock worth $18,815,825. Company insiders own 0.15% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on BKNG. JMP Securities raised their price objective on shares of Booking from $3,600.00 to $3,950.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 26th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Booking from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Seaport Res Ptn reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Booking in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Booking from $3,550.00 to $3,900.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 23rd. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Booking from $3,900.00 to $3,800.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 23rd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $3,723.41.

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.