Motley Fool Asset Management LLC Purchases 82 Shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG)

Key Points

• Motley Fool Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Booking Holdings Inc. by 5.7%, now owning 1,527 shares worth $7,035,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares.
• Booking Holdings reported a net revenue increase of 16% year-over-year, with earnings per share surpassing estimates, leading analysts to set a consensus price target of $5,781.04 for the stock.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $9.60 per share, which will be paid on September 30th, with a yield of 0.7% and a payout ratio of 26.71%.

Motley Fool Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG - Free Report) by 5.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,527 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC's holdings in Booking were worth $7,035,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Booking by 27.3% in the 1st quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 182 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $844,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Europe London LLP bought a new position in shares of Booking in the 4th quarter worth $15,054,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Booking in the 1st quarter worth $203,000. Perigon Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Booking by 9.4% during the 1st quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 278 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,281,000 after buying an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake 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 buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. 92.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Booking Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of NASDAQ BKNG opened at $5,405.91 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $175.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.60, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.41. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $3,394.85 and a 12-month high of $5,839.41. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $5,569.71 and its 200-day simple moving average is $5,100.99.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The business services provider reported $55.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $50.32 by $5.08. Booking had a negative return on equity of 134.19% and a net margin of 19.23%. The business had revenue of $6.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.54 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $41.90 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 209.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Booking Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Booking

In other news, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 1,013 shares of Booking stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5,695.00, for a total transaction of $5,769,035.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 26,633 shares in the company, valued at approximately $151,674,935. The trade was a 3.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders sold a total of 3,039 shares of company stock worth $16,963,769 in the last 90 days. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Wedbush reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $5,900.00 price target on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Booking from $5,411.00 to $5,418.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Booking from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Bank of America upped their target price on Booking from $5,820.00 to $5,850.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Booking from $5,550.00 to $5,700.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company's 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.

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