Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG Shares Sold by Los Angeles Capital Management LLC

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC trimmed its position in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 0.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 45,355 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 142 shares during the period. Booking makes up about 0.8% of Los Angeles Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC owned 0.14% of Booking worth $244,884,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of BKNG. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Booking in the second quarter valued at $2,210,917,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Booking by 578,824.0% in the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 289,462 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,675,765,000 after acquiring an additional 289,412 shares in the last quarter. Vestor Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Booking by 658,925.0% in the 2nd quarter. Vestor Capital LLC now owns 105,444 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $610,441,000 after acquiring an additional 105,428 shares during the last quarter. Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. acquired a new stake in Booking in the 2nd quarter valued at about $536,675,000. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Booking by 79.4% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 154,206 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $695,259,000 after purchasing an additional 68,243 shares in the last quarter. 92.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Booking Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of Booking stock opened at $5,427.15 on Wednesday. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $4,096.23 and a 12-month high of $5,839.41. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $5,116.39 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $5,370.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $174.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.27, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.25.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The business services provider reported $99.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $95.56 by $3.94. Booking had a net margin of 19.37% and a negative return on equity of 134.86%. The business had revenue of $9.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.71 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $83.39 earnings per share. Booking’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 209.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 5th will be paid a $9.60 dividend. This represents a $38.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 5th. Booking’s dividend payout ratio is presently 24.96%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Booking

In other news, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 571 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5,414.53, for a total value of $3,091,696.63. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 21,010 shares in the company, valued at approximately $113,759,275.30. This represents a 2.65% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Robert J. Mylod, Jr. sold 40 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5,000.00, for a total value of $200,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,800,000. This trade represents a 4.00% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 3,324 shares of company stock worth $17,193,557 over the last three months. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on BKNG shares. Citigroup reissued a “market outperform” rating on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Morgan Stanley set a $6,150.00 target price on Booking in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and set a $5,433.00 price target on shares of Booking in a report on Thursday, October 30th. BNP Paribas set a $6,100.00 price target on Booking in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $6,325.00 price objective on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $6,149.23.

Booking 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.