Bell Asset Management Ltd Sells 1,510 Shares of Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG

Bell Asset Management Ltd trimmed its holdings in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 80.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 362 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 1,510 shares during the quarter. Bell Asset Management Ltd’s holdings in Booking were worth $2,096,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Wealth Preservation Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Booking during the first quarter worth about $28,000. Atwood & Palmer Inc. bought a new stake in Booking during the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Booking by 400.0% during the second quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 5 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 4 shares during the last quarter. Keystone Global Partners LLC purchased a new position in Booking in the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, O Brien Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Booking in the 2nd quarter worth $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 15 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5,030.00, for a total transaction of $75,450.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 717 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,606,510. This represents a 2.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert J. Mylod, Jr. sold 40 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 960 shares in the company, valued at $4,800,000. The trade was a 4.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 3,452 shares of company stock worth $17,987,397. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Booking Price Performance

Shares of BKNG stock opened at $4,911.85 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $158.33 billion, a PE ratio of 31.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.34. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 1-year low of $4,096.23 and a 1-year high of $5,839.41. The business has a 50-day moving average of $5,144.94 and a 200 day moving average of $5,395.09.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The business services provider reported $99.50 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $95.56 by $3.94. The business had revenue of $9.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.71 billion. Booking had a negative return on equity of 134.86% and a net margin of 19.37%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $83.39 EPS. Booking has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Q4 2025 guidance at EPS. Analysts anticipate that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 209.92 EPS for the current year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 5th will be issued a dividend of $9.60 per share. This represents a $38.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 5th. Booking’s dividend payout ratio is currently 24.96%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Booking in a research report on Monday. Susquehanna lifted their price target on Booking from $6,000.00 to $6,500.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Gordon Haskett cut their price objective on Booking from $5,680.00 to $5,620.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Barclays raised their price objective on Booking from $6,000.00 to $6,250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their target price on Booking from $6,250.00 to $6,400.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $6,141.52.

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.