6,692 Shares of Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG Bought by Argus Investors Counsel Inc.

Key Points

• Argus Investors Counsel acquired 6,692 Booking Holdings shares worth approximately $1.09 million, while institutional investors collectively own 92.42% of the company.
• Booking exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $2.54 in EPS and $7.35 billion in revenue, with revenue up 8.1% year over year. The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.42 per share.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $235.38, although insiders sold 83,050 shares worth roughly $17.2 million over the past 90 days.

Argus Investors Counsel Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 6,692 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,090,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Osbon Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Booking during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Bard Associates Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Booking in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Monetary Solutions Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Booking in the fourth quarter valued at $70,000. MV Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Booking during the 4th quarter valued at $86,000. Finally, SHP Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Booking during the 4th quarter valued at $105,000. Institutional investors own 92.42% of the company's stock.

Booking Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:BKNG opened at $160.34 on Friday. The stock's 50-day moving average is $186.28 and its 200 day moving average is $177.89. The company has a market cap of $120.48 billion, a PE ratio of 17.75, a P/E/G ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.13. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 1 year low of $150.14 and a 1 year high of $220.81.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The business services provider reported $2.54 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.43 by $0.11. Booking had a net margin of 25.53% and a negative return on equity of 102.96%. The business had revenue of $7.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $55.40 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on BKNG shares. TD Cowen upgraded Booking to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, September 14th. Robert W. Baird set a $230.00 price target on Booking in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Wedbush increased their price target on shares of Booking from $211.00 to $247.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a "market perform" rating and issued a $188.00 price objective on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday, August 26th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price objective on shares of Booking from $175.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have issued a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Booking currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $235.38.

Insider Transactions at Booking

In related news, VP Peter Millones, Jr. sold 50,050 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.59, for a total value of $10,389,879.50. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 375,025 shares in the company, valued at $77,851,439.75. The trade was a 11.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Paulo Pisano sold 1,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.02, for a total transaction of $259,530.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 71,900 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,440,138. This represents a 2.04% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 83,050 shares of company stock valued at $17,182,274. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Booking Profile

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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