Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG Shares Bought by ABN AMRO Bank N.V.

ABN AMRO Bank N.V. increased its holdings in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 383.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,572 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,214 shares during the quarter. ABN AMRO Bank N.V.’s holdings in Booking were worth $27,915,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. J. Stern & Co. LLP increased its holdings in shares of Booking by 191,965.8% in 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 buying an additional 2,831,495 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Booking in the 4th quarter worth $3,271,041,000. HF Advisory Group LLC raised its position in shares of Booking by 28,353.8% during the fourth quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC now owns 204,298 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,094,083,000 after purchasing an additional 203,580 shares during the period. Cardano Risk Management B.V. raised its position in shares of Booking by 862.0% during the fourth quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 218,080 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,167,890,000 after purchasing an additional 195,411 shares during the period. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in shares of Booking by 15.4% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 966,121 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $5,173,899,000 after purchasing an additional 128,700 shares during the period. 92.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Booking Stock Up 2.5%

Booking stock opened at $181.46 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $169.06 and its 200-day simple moving average is $182.47. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $150.14 and a 12 month high of $233.58. The stock has a market cap of $140.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.08.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $5.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.52 billion. Booking had a negative return on equity of 117.14% and a net margin of 22.23%.Booking’s quarterly revenue was up 16.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.99 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Booking Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be given a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 5th. Booking’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on BKNG shares. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of Booking in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on Booking from $244.00 to $220.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. HSBC reduced their price objective on shares of Booking from $309.84 to $298.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Evercore set a $245.00 target price on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Booking from $248.00 to $240.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $227.14.

Insider Transactions at Booking

In other news, VP Peter J. Millones sold 62,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.67, for a total transaction of $10,229,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 425,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $69,572,025.25. This trade represents a 12.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 16,726 shares of Booking stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.36, for a total value of $3,100,331.36. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 298,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $55,269,532.64. This represents a 5.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 sold 80,351 shares of company stock valued at $13,545,706 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

More Booking News

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BTIG reportedly initiated or reiterated a Buy rating on Booking Holdings, adding to the generally optimistic analyst backdrop. Booking Holdings (BKNG) Gets a Buy from BTIG
• Positive Sentiment: Some investors view the recent selloff as a buying opportunity, arguing that Booking remains a high-quality travel platform with strong cash flow, margins, and fair-to-attractive valuation. Booking Holdings: Selloff May Be More Of An Opportunity Than Warning
• Positive Sentiment: Another bullish note said Booking has a strong earnings track record, leadership in online travel, and potential upside from temporary concerns being overdone. Booking Holdings: Strong Track Record At A Discount
• Positive Sentiment: Booking shares rallied after crude oil prices fell below $70, a move seen as potentially lowering travel costs and boosting booking demand. Booking (BKNG) Shares Skyrocket, What You Need To Know
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles focused on Wall Street’s generally bullish consensus on Booking, with the average brokerage recommendation at Buy, though the pieces also questioned how useful analyst ratings are as a signal. Is Booking Holdings (BKNG) a Buy as Wall Street Analysts Look Optimistic?
• Neutral Sentiment: Bernstein was reported to have a Hold rating on BKNG, which may temper some of the more upbeat sentiment around the stock. Booking Holdings (BKNG) Receives a Hold from Bernstein
• Negative Sentiment: Booking also saw a recent one-day decline that outpaced the broader market, reflecting some ongoing volatility after the stock’s earlier run-up. Here’s Why Booking Holdings (BKNG) Fell More Than Broader Market

About Booking

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.