American Century Companies Inc. Reduces Stock Position in Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG

Key Points

• American Century Companies Inc. drastically reduced its stake in Booking Holdings Inc. by 92.2% in the first quarter, now owning only 27,334 shares, valued at approximately $125.9 million.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $9.60, scheduled for payment on September 30th, which equates to an annualized yield of 0.7%.
• Booking's latest earnings report showed a 16% increase in revenue year-over-year and an EPS of $55.40, surpassing the consensus estimate by $5.08.

American Century Companies Inc. lowered its position in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG - Free Report) by 92.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 27,334 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 322,191 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned approximately 0.08% of Booking worth $125,925,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Ethic Inc. increased its stake in shares of Booking by 3.5% during the first quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 4,918 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $23,042,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Booking by 20.0% during the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 162 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $747,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Element Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Booking during the 1st quarter valued at about $2,635,000. Aberdeen Group plc increased its holdings in Booking by 66.2% during the first quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 25,715 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $115,762,000 after buying an additional 10,240 shares during the period. Finally, Liontrust Investment Partners LLP raised its position in shares of Booking by 7.1% in the 1st quarter. Liontrust Investment Partners LLP now owns 4,373 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $20,146,000 after acquiring an additional 291 shares in the last quarter. 92.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Booking Stock Down 0.7%

BKNG traded down $41.2450 during trading on Friday, hitting $5,669.4950. 77,932 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 247,540. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 1-year low of $3,700.97 and a 1-year high of $5,839.41. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $5,569.06 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $5,145.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $183.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.43, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.41.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The business services provider reported $55.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $50.32 by $5.08. The business had revenue of $6.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.54 billion. Booking had a net margin of 19.23% and a negative return on equity of 134.19%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $41.90 earnings per share. Booking has set its Q3 2025 guidance at EPS. Analysts predict that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 209.92 EPS for the current year.

Booking Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 5th will be paid a dividend of $9.60 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 5th. This represents a $38.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Booking's dividend payout ratio is 26.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on BKNG shares. Wedbush reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $5,900.00 price objective on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Booking from $5,900.00 to $6,100.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Booking from $5,700.00 to $6,000.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, JMP Securities raised their target price on Booking from $5,600.00 to $5,700.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $5,781.04.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 1,013 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5,476.89, for a total value of $5,548,089.57. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 24,620 shares in the company, valued at $134,841,031.80. The trade was a 3.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders sold a total of 4,052 shares of company stock worth $22,511,858 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Booking Company Profile

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.