Aurora Investment Counsel Takes $2.90 Million Position in Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG

Key Points

• Aurora Investment Counsel acquired 16,258 Booking Holdings shares worth approximately $2.90 million during the second quarter, making BKNG its fourth-largest holding at about 1.5% of the portfolio.
• Booking reported strong quarterly results, with revenue up 8.1% year over year to $7.35 billion and EPS of $2.54, exceeding analyst expectations. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $235.72.
• Booking declared a quarterly dividend of $0.42 per share, while several executives sold shares under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans; institutional investors continue to own a substantial 92.42% of the company.

Aurora Investment Counsel bought a new position in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 16,258 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,898,000. Booking accounts for about 1.5% of Aurora Investment Counsel's holdings, making the stock its 4th biggest position.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bogart Wealth LLC boosted its position in Booking by 3,475.0% during the 2nd quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 143 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 139 shares during the period. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC increased its position in shares of Booking by 3,550.0% in the second quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC now owns 146 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the period. Camelot Portfolios LLC purchased a new position in shares of Booking in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Osbon Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Booking during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, First Financial Corp IN raised its stake in shares of Booking by 2,400.0% during the second quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 150 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. 92.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Booking News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Booking’s KAYAK brand reported that international airfares for U.K. travelers in September and October are averaging 26% below peak-season levels. Cheaper “shoulder-season” travel could encourage additional bookings and support demand across Booking’s accommodation and travel platforms. KAYAK shoulder-season travel research
• Positive Sentiment: Recent fundamentals remain supportive. Booking’s latest quarterly revenue rose 8.1% year over year to $7.35 billion and earnings exceeded analyst expectations. Analysts maintain a broadly favorable view, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $235.72, above recent trading levels. Booking growth-stock analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Booking declared a quarterly dividend of $0.42 per share, or $1.68 annually, representing an approximately 0.8% yield. The payout signals ongoing shareholder returns but is modest and is unlikely to materially affect the stock’s near-term direction.
• Negative Sentiment: Booking Vice President Peter Millones sold 50,050 shares worth approximately $10.4 million, reducing his position by 11.77%. Director Vanessa Ames Wittman separately sold 375 shares for about $79,000. Both transactions were executed under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans, reducing their significance as bearish signals; Millones still retains roughly $77.9 million in BKNG stock. Booking insider share sales

Booking Price Performance

Shares of Booking stock opened at $213.00 on Thursday. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 1 year low of $150.14 and a 1 year high of $231.80. The firm has a market cap of $160.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.57, a PEG ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a 50-day moving average of $186.78 and a 200 day moving average of $177.12.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG - Get Free Report) last posted 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. The business had revenue of $7.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.19 billion. Booking had a net margin of 25.53% and a negative return on equity of 102.96%. Booking's quarterly revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $55.40 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.47 EPS for the current year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 11th will be given a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 11th. Booking's payout ratio is currently 18.58%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BKNG has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. HSBC cut their target price on Booking from $309.84 to $298.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Gordon Haskett upped their price target on Booking from $217.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $215.00 price objective on Booking and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $230.00 price objective (down from $240.00) on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $230.00 target price on Booking in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $235.72.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Booking news, CFO Ewout L. Steenbergen sold 20,000 shares of Booking stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $211.03, for a total transaction of $4,220,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 59,794 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,618,327.82. The trade was a 25.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, VP Peter J. Millones sold 50,050 shares of Booking stock in a transaction on 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 of the company's stock, valued at $77,851,439.75. The trade was a 11.77% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 140,050 shares of company stock valued at $26,341,680. 0.17% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Booking Company Profile

Booking Holdings Inc is a global online travel company that operates a portfolio of consumer brands and technology platforms that facilitate the search for and booking of travel services. The company's businesses focus on accommodations, transportation and related travel services through consumer-facing websites and apps as well as partner distribution channels. Booking Holdings was originally founded as Priceline in the late 1990s and adopted the Booking Holdings name in 2018; it is headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut.

Its core offerings include online reservations for hotels, vacation rentals and other lodging; flight and car rental search and booking; and ancillary services that support travel planning and on-property experiences.

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