Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) Shares Bought by Cozad Asset Management Inc.

Key Points

• Cozad Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Booking Holdings Inc. by 96.4% in Q1, reaching a valuation of $1,004,000 with a total of 218 shares owned.
• In its latest earnings report, Booking Holdings Inc. reported an EPS of $55.40, exceeding the consensus estimate by $5.08, and revenues of $6.80 billion, up 16.0% from the previous year.
• Recent analyst ratings for Booking reflect a strong sentiment, with 20 buy ratings and a consensus price target of $5,481.78, indicating positive market outlook.

Cozad Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG - Free Report) by 96.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 218 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the period. Cozad Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Booking were worth $1,004,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in BKNG. Covestor Ltd raised its position in shares of Booking by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 31 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $158,000 after purchasing an additional 2 shares during the last quarter. SageView Advisory Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Booking by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. SageView Advisory Group LLC now owns 124 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $616,000 after acquiring an additional 2 shares in the last quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC increased its position in Booking by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 95 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $472,000 after purchasing an additional 2 shares in the last quarter. Elequin Capital LP raised its stake in Booking by 20.0% in the 4th quarter. Elequin Capital LP now owns 12 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 2 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fidelis Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in Booking by 1.2% in the 1st quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC now owns 167 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $809,000 after purchasing an additional 2 shares during the last quarter. 92.42% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Booking Stock Performance

Shares of BKNG stock traded down $117.77 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $5,386.29. 199,536 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 184,546. The stock has a market capitalization of $174.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.46, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.41. Booking Holdings Inc. has a one year low of $3,180.00 and a one year high of $5,839.41. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $5,567.73 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $5,070.33.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The business services provider reported $55.40 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $50.32 by $5.08. Booking had a negative return on equity of 134.19% and a net margin of 19.23%. The company had revenue of $6.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.54 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $41.90 EPS. Booking's quarterly revenue was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 209.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 5th will be given a $9.60 dividend. This represents a $38.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 5th. Booking's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.89%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on BKNG shares. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday. DA Davidson increased their price target on Booking from $5,750.00 to $6,500.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. BTIG Research raised Booking from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $5,500.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Wedbush reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $5,900.00 target price on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Booking from $5,411.00 to $5,418.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $5,781.04.

Insider Activity

In other Booking news, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 1,013 shares of Booking stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5,695.00, for a total value of $5,769,035.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 26,633 shares in the company, valued at $151,674,935. The trade was a 3.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 3,039 shares of company stock valued at $16,963,769. 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.