64,584 Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG Shares Purchased by Ninety One UK Ltd

Key Points

• Ninety One UK increased its Booking Holdings stake by 1%, purchasing 64,584 shares to reach 6.49 million shares valued at approximately $1.06 billion. Institutional investors collectively own 92.42% of Booking’s outstanding stock.
• Booking reported quarterly revenue of $7.35 billion and adjusted earnings of $2.54 per share, exceeding analyst expectations, while revenue rose 8.1% year over year. The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.42 per share.
• Shares recently traded at $166.87, below their 50-day and 200-day moving averages, but analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $233.95. Booking is also investing $100 million in Vayo, its new AI-powered personal travel agent.

Ninety One UK Ltd lifted its holdings in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG - Free Report) by 1.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 6,489,929 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 64,584 shares during the quarter. Booking accounts for about 2.4% of Ninety One UK Ltd's holdings, making the stock its 7th biggest holding. Ninety One UK Ltd owned approximately 0.86% of Booking worth $1,057,274,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Booking in the 2nd quarter worth $11,646,302,000. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Booking by 2,674.6% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 39,420,711 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $7,026,348,000 after purchasing an additional 37,999,915 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG bought a new stake in Booking in the second quarter worth $1,691,186,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in Booking during the second quarter valued at about $1,370,455,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in Booking by 2,525.5% during the second quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 6,101,866 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,087,597,000 after buying an additional 5,869,459 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.42% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Booking

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Booking launched Vayo, an AI-powered personal travel agent now entering private beta, and plans to invest $100 million in the business. The platform is intended to organize travelers’ bookings, learn their preferences and provide ongoing trip support. Investors may view the initiative as a potential long-term growth opportunity and a way to strengthen Booking’s customer relationship. Booking Holdings Launches Vayo with Planned $100M Investment
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst price targets remain well above the stock’s recent trading level, with one report citing an average target of $233.95. That gap may support investor interest, though price targets are estimates rather than guarantees. Booking Holdings Average Price Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Booking has attracted unusually high attention from Zacks users. The coverage largely discusses investor interest and what may lie ahead rather than reporting a new operating result, estimate revision or corporate action. Booking Holdings Investor Attention
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports note that approximately $10.1 billion in advance deposits primarily belongs to travel providers such as hotels. These customer-related funds can support working capital, but they also represent obligations and should not be treated as Booking’s revenue or cash available for unrestricted use. Booking Advance Deposits

Insider Activity at Booking

In related news, insider Paulo Pisano sold 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $203.48, for a total value of $610,440.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 73,400 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,935,432. This trade represents a 3.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Vanessa Wittman sold 1,125 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.00, for a total value of $216,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 16,508 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,169,536. The trade was a 6.38% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 83,050 shares of company stock valued at $17,182,274 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

Booking Price Performance

BKNG traded up $6.19 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $166.87. 3,527,243 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,156,633. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $183.93 and a two-hundred day moving average of $177.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $125.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.49, a P/E/G ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.13. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $150.14 and a 52 week high of $220.81.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The business services provider reported $2.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.43 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $7.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.19 billion. Booking had a negative return on equity of 102.96% and a net margin of 25.53%. The business's revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $55.40 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.48 EPS for the current year.

Booking Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 11th were issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 11th. Booking's dividend payout ratio is currently 18.58%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BKNG has been the topic of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded Booking from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $215.00 target price on Booking and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Benchmark increased their target price on Booking from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Oppenheimer restated an "outperform" rating and set a $240.00 price target (up from $215.00) on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Booking from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have assigned a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $233.95.

About Booking

Booking Holdings Inc is a global online travel and restaurant reservation company headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut. Through its digital platforms, the company helps consumers search for, compare and reserve accommodations, flights, rental cars, vacation packages, attractions and restaurant reservations.

Its portfolio includes Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, KAYAK, OpenTable, Rentalcars.com and the travel metasearch brands Momondo and Cheapflights. Booking.com is primarily known for lodging reservations, while Priceline focuses on travel deals, Agoda serves customers across international markets with a strong presence in Asia, KAYAK and its related brands provide travel search and comparison services, and OpenTable operates a restaurant reservation platform.

The company was founded in 1997 as Priceline.com and was later renamed The Priceline Group before adopting the Booking Holdings name in 2018.

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