Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) Shares Sold by Meritage Portfolio Management

Meritage Portfolio Management cut its holdings in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG - Free Report) by 2.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,549 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 98 shares during the quarter. Booking accounts for 1.4% of Meritage Portfolio Management's portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. Meritage Portfolio Management's holdings in Booking were worth $20,957,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in shares of Booking by 34.9% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 251 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,249,000 after buying an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Booking during the fourth quarter worth about $209,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Booking during the fourth quarter worth about $368,000. Mission Wealth Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of Booking by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Mission Wealth Management LP now owns 219 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,087,000 after purchasing an additional 5 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Crew Capital Management Ltd. grew its position in shares of Booking by 133.3% in the fourth quarter. Crew Capital Management Ltd. now owns 161 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $800,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. 92.42% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Booking

In other news, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 1,013 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 trade represents a 3.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Booking Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of BKNG traded up $20.73 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $5,722.49. 131,159 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 248,532. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $5,343.87 and a 200 day simple moving average of $4,966.95. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $3,180.00 and a 12-month high of $5,799.01. The firm has a market cap of $186.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.40.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The business services provider reported $24.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $17.57 by $7.24. Booking had a net margin of 22.58% and a negative return on equity of 143.67%. The business had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $20.39 EPS. The business's revenue was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 6th were paid a dividend of $9.60 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 6th. This represents a $38.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.67%. Booking's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.89%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BKNG has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $5,900.00 target price on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Booking from $5,000.00 to $4,800.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Booking from $5,000.00 to $5,700.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. JMP Securities raised their price target on shares of Booking from $5,600.00 to $5,700.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Booking from $5,550.00 to $5,700.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Booking presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $5,388.37.

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.