Sowell Financial Services LLC Invests $943,000 in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG)

Sowell Financial Services LLC bought a new position in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm bought 205 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $943,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Point72 Europe London LLP bought a new stake in shares of Booking during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $15,054,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Booking by 20.3% in the 4th quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 905 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $4,495,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the period. Alberta Investment Management Corp raised its holdings in Booking by 160.0% in the 4th quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp now owns 1,300 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $6,459,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares during the period. Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Booking during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $994,000. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Booking by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 210 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,043,000 after purchasing an additional 3 shares during the last quarter. 92.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Booking Price Performance

NASDAQ BKNG traded up $17.77 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $5,304.03. The company had a trading volume of 441,919 shares, compared to its average volume of 248,618. Booking Holdings Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $3,180.00 and a fifty-two week high of $5,639.70. The company has a market capitalization of $172.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.41. The firm's 50 day moving average is $5,165.75 and its 200 day moving average is $4,946.64.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The business services provider reported $24.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $17.57 by $7.24. Booking had a negative return on equity of 143.67% and a net margin of 22.58%. The firm had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $20.39 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 209.92 EPS for the current year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 6th will be paid a dividend of $9.60 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 6th. This represents a $38.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.72%. Booking's dividend payout ratio is presently 23.89%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 1,013 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 16th. The stock was 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 now directly owns 27,646 shares in the company, valued at $148,073,911.22. This trade represents a 3.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. BTIG Research upgraded Booking from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $5,500.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, April 4th. DA Davidson lifted their target price on Booking from $5,005.00 to $5,800.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Barclays boosted their price target on Booking from $5,100.00 to $5,600.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on Booking from $5,120.00 to $5,077.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Booking from $5,000.00 to $5,700.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Booking currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $5,388.37.

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.