Graham Capital Management L.P. Boosts Stock Holdings in Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG

Key Points

• Graham Capital Management L.P. increased its position in Booking Holdings Inc. by 1,435.6% during the first quarter, now holding shares worth $3,183,000.
• Booking Holdings reported $55.40 EPS for the last quarter, surpassing analyst forecasts, with a revenue of $6.80 billion, up 16% year-over-year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $9.60, reflecting an annualized yield of 0.7%, with a payout ratio of 26.71%.

Graham Capital Management L.P. lifted its stake in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG - Free Report) by 1,435.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 691 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 646 shares during the period. Graham Capital Management L.P.'s holdings in Booking were worth $3,183,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Booking by 27.3% during the first quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 182 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $844,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Europe London LLP acquired a new stake in Booking in the fourth quarter valued at $15,054,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Booking in the first quarter valued at $203,000. Perigon Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Booking by 9.4% in the first quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 278 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,281,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Booking by 13.2% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 513 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $2,363,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the period. 92.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Booking Trading Up 1.4%

Shares of BKNG traded up $77.40 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $5,582.95. 189,750 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 165,104. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $5,619.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $5,191.90. The company has a market cap of $180.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.39. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 1 year low of $3,700.97 and a 1 year high of $5,839.41.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The business services provider reported $55.40 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $6.54 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $41.90 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 16.0% on a year-over-year basis. Booking has set its Q3 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 209.92 EPS for the current year.

Booking Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Booking

In related news, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 1,013 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5,476.89, for a total value of $5,548,089.57. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 24,620 shares in the company, valued at approximately $134,841,031.80. The trade was a 3.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders have sold 4,052 shares of company stock valued at $22,511,858 in the last ninety days. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on BKNG shares. Evercore ISI increased their price target on Booking from $5,500.00 to $6,250.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. B. Riley reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $6,700.00 price target (up previously from $6,100.00) on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Susquehanna lifted their price target on Booking from $6,000.00 to $6,500.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Citigroup upped their target price on Booking from $5,560.00 to $6,500.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on Booking from $5,700.00 to $6,000.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $5,781.04.

About Booking

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.