Vident Advisory LLC Increases Stock Position in Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG

Key Points

• Vident Advisory LLC increased its stake in Booking Holdings Inc. by 3.5%, acquiring 265 additional shares, bringing its total holdings to 7,734 shares valued at approximately $35.63 million.
• Booking reported earnings per share of $55.40, exceeding analyst expectations of $50.32, with quarterly revenue of $6.80 billion compared to forecasts of $6.54 billion.
• Booking's board announced a $9.60 quarterly dividend, reflecting a 0.7% yield, with the payout ratio currently at 26.71%.

Vident Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG - Free Report) by 3.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,734 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 265 shares during the quarter. Vident Advisory LLC's holdings in Booking were worth $35,630,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in BKNG. Wealth Preservation Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Booking during the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Keystone Global Partners LLC bought a new position in Booking in the first quarter worth approximately $32,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda bought a new position in Booking in the fourth quarter worth approximately $40,000. Alpine Bank Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Booking during the 1st quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Booking during the 1st quarter valued at $41,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.42% of the company's stock.

Booking Trading Down 1.7%

Booking stock traded down $93.50 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $5,505.55. 244,416 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 245,245. Booking Holdings Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $3,700.97 and a fifty-two week high of $5,839.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $178.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.29, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.39. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $5,617.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is $5,186.97.

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

Booking Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 5th will be given a dividend of $9.60 per share. This represents a $38.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 5th. Booking's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on BKNG. Susquehanna lifted their price target on shares of Booking from $6,000.00 to $6,500.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Booking from $5,560.00 to $6,500.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Booking from $5,411.00 to $5,418.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $6,200.00 price target (up from $6,000.00) on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Booking from $5,360.00 to $6,000.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $5,781.04.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Booking news, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 1,013 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5,476.89, for a total transaction of $5,548,089.57. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 24,620 shares of the company's stock, valued at $134,841,031.80. This trade represents a 3.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders have sold a total of 4,052 shares of company stock worth $22,511,858 over the last ninety 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.