Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG Stock: Mather Group LLC. Increases Stake

Key Points

• Mather Group more than doubled its Booking Holdings stake in the third quarter, increasing ownership by 116.1% to 35,198 shares valued at approximately $5.7 million. Institutional investors collectively own 92.42% of the company.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $233.95. Booking also exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, reporting $2.54 EPS and $7.35 billion in revenue, up 8.1% year over year.
• Insiders sold shares during the period, including CFO Ewout Steenbergen’s sale of 20,000 shares for $4.2 million; insiders sold 83,050 shares worth $17.2 million over the past 90 days. The company paid a quarterly dividend of $0.42 per share, equivalent to a 1.0% yield.

Mather Group LLC. boosted its stake in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG - Free Report) by 116.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 35,198 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 18,908 shares during the quarter. Mather Group LLC.'s holdings in Booking were worth $5,734,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Osbon Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Booking in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Monetary Solutions Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Booking in the fourth quarter valued at about $70,000. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Booking in the fourth quarter valued at about $86,000. SHP Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Booking in the fourth quarter valued at about $105,000. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in shares of Booking during the fourth quarter valued at about $123,000. 92.42% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Mizuho set a $240.00 price target on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $250.00 price objective (up from $240.00) on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Rosenblatt Securities began coverage on shares of Booking in a research report on Tuesday, September 1st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $245.00 price objective for the company. Wedbush increased their price objective on shares of Booking from $211.00 to $247.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Benchmark lifted their target price on shares of Booking from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have given a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $233.95.

Insider Transactions at Booking

In other news, CFO Ewout L. Steenbergen sold 20,000 shares of the 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. This represents a 25.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal 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, Director Vanessa Wittman sold 375 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $211.00, for a total value of $79,125.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 16,133 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,404,063. The trade was a 2.27% 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. Over 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 insiders.

Booking Price Performance

Shares of Booking stock opened at $165.80 on Friday. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 1 year low of $150.14 and a 1 year high of $220.81. The firm has a market cap of $124.58 billion, a PE ratio of 18.35, a P/E/G ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.13. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $183.10 and a 200-day moving average price of $177.55.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The business services provider reported $2.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.43 by $0.11. Booking had a net margin of 25.53% and a negative return on equity of 102.96%. The company had revenue of $7.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.19 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $55.40 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Booking Announces Dividend

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

Key Stories Impacting Booking

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Booking launched Vayo, an AI-powered personal travel agent now entering private beta, and plans to invest $100 million in the platform. Management is positioning Vayo as a tool that organizes complete trips, learns user preferences and continues assisting travelers after booking. The initiative could create new customer-engagement and monetization opportunities over time. Booking Holdings Launches Vayo with Planned $100M Investment
• Positive Sentiment: Booking recently advanced even as the broader market declined, suggesting company-specific buying interest. The move may reflect investor enthusiasm for Vayo and confidence in Booking’s travel-market position. Booking Holdings Advances While Market Declines
• Positive Sentiment: Booking has an average analyst price target of $233.95, well above the stock’s recent trading level, indicating substantial potential upside if the company meets expectations. Price targets are estimates, not guarantees. Booking Holdings Stock Has Average Price Target of $233.95
• Neutral Sentiment: BKNG has attracted unusually high attention among Zacks users, but the reports do not identify a new earnings forecast, upgrade or fundamental catalyst. The increased visibility may support trading interest without necessarily changing valuation. Booking Holdings Is Attracting Investor Attention
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports noting approximately $10.1 billion in advance deposits emphasize that much of the money belongs to hotels and other travel providers. This supports Booking’s role as a platform but should not be interpreted as equivalent to revenue or cash available to shareholders. Booking Advance Deposits

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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