Alta Advisers Ltd Boosts Stock Holdings in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG)

Alta Advisers Ltd increased its position in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG - Free Report) by 64.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 179 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the quarter. Alta Advisers Ltd's holdings in Booking were worth $825,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new stake in Booking in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. acquired a new position in Booking during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Promus Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Booking in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda bought a new stake in Booking during the 4th quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Alpine Bank Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Booking during the 1st quarter worth about $41,000. 92.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Booking Price Performance

Shares of Booking stock traded up $20.73 during trading on Friday, reaching $5,722.49. 131,159 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 248,532. The firm has a market capitalization of $186.21 billion, a PE ratio of 35.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.40. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 1-year low of $3,180.00 and a 1-year high of $5,799.01. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $5,361.76 and a 200-day moving average price of $4,970.88.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The business services provider reported $24.81 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $17.57 by $7.24. The business had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. Booking had a net margin of 22.58% and a negative return on equity of 143.67%. Booking's quarterly revenue was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $20.39 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 209.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, June 6th were given a dividend of $9.60 per share. This represents a $38.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 6th. Booking's payout ratio is currently 23.89%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on BKNG shares. Piper Sandler cut their price target on shares of Booking from $5,120.00 to $5,077.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Booking from $4,567.00 to $4,692.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. JMP Securities lifted their target price on Booking from $5,600.00 to $5,700.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Booking from $5,000.00 to $4,800.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Booking from $5,580.00 to $5,820.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $5,388.37.

Insider Buying and Selling at Booking

In related news, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 1,013 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5,356.07, for a total transaction of $5,425,698.91. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 27,646 shares in the company, valued at approximately $148,073,911.22. This trade represents a 3.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.