Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. Purchases New Holdings in Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG

Key Points

• Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. has acquired a new position in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG), purchasing 2,000 shares valued at approximately $9.21 million.
• Several other institutional investors have also increased their holdings in Booking, with institutional investors and hedge funds owning 92.42% of the company's stock.
• Booking's recent quarterly earnings report showed earnings per share (EPS) of $55.40, exceeding expectations, alongside a revenue increase of 16% year-over-year.

Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 2,000 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $9,214,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in 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 purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Europe London LLP bought a new position in Booking in the 4th quarter worth about $15,054,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Booking in the 1st quarter worth about $203,000. Perigon Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Booking by 9.4% in the 1st quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 278 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,281,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Booking by 13.2% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 513 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $2,363,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.42% of the company's stock.

Booking Stock Down 1.7%

NASDAQ:BKNG traded down $97.02 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $5,474.81. 246,960 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 243,912. The company has a market capitalization of $177.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.39. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $3,719.34 and a 12 month high of $5,839.41. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $5,608.31 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $5,206.63.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The business services provider reported $55.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $50.32 by $5.08. The firm had revenue of $6.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.54 billion. Booking had a net margin of 19.23% and a negative return on equity of 134.19%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $41.90 earnings per share. Booking has set its Q3 2025 guidance at EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 209.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. DA Davidson upped their target price on shares of Booking from $5,750.00 to $6,500.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $6,000.00 price objective (up from $5,700.00) on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. BTIG Research reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $6,250.00 price objective on shares of Booking in a report on Thursday, September 4th. Wedbush reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $5,900.00 price objective on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Booking currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $5,808.81.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 1,013 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 24,620 shares in the company, valued at approximately $134,841,031.80. This represents a 3.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Larry Quinlan sold 64 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5,587.11, for a total transaction of $357,575.04. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 195 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,089,486.45. This trade represents a 24.71% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 4,116 shares of company stock valued at $22,869,434 over the last 90 days. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Booking 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.