Callahan Advisors LLC Boosts Stake in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG)

Callahan Advisors LLC grew its position in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG - Free Report) by 7.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,388 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 323 shares during the quarter. Booking comprises approximately 1.9% of Callahan Advisors LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Callahan Advisors LLC's holdings in Booking were worth $20,215,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new position in Booking in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. purchased a new stake in shares of Booking during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda purchased a new stake in shares of Booking during the fourth quarter valued at $40,000. Alpine Bank Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Booking during the first quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Booking during the fourth quarter valued at $50,000. 92.42% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Booking

In related news, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 1,013 shares of the company'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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $148,073,911.22. This represents a 3.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Booking Price Performance

NASDAQ BKNG traded down $1.41 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $5,717.10. 150,915 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 248,704. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 52-week low of $3,180.00 and a 52-week high of $5,839.41. The company has a market capitalization of $186.03 billion, a PE ratio of 35.57, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.40. The firm's 50-day moving average is $5,448.04 and its 200-day moving average is $4,998.76.

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

Booking Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on BKNG. BTIG Research raised shares of Booking from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $5,500.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, April 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $5,900.00 price target on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Booking from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. JMP Securities upped their price target on shares of Booking from $5,600.00 to $5,700.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Booking from $5,000.00 to $4,800.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Booking currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $5,415.00.

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.