Thomasville National Bank Takes $51.57 Million Position in Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG

Key Points

• Thomasville National Bank purchased 289,313 Booking Holdings shares worth approximately $51.57 million, making BKNG its ninth-largest holding and representing about 2.8% of its portfolio. Institutional investors collectively own 92.42% of the company.
• Booking exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $2.54 in EPS and $7.35 billion in revenue, with revenue up 8.1% year over year. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $235.72.
• Insiders sold 69,625 shares worth approximately $11.65 million over the last quarter, while Booking declared a quarterly dividend of $0.42 per share, equivalent to an annualized yield of about 0.8%.

Thomasville National Bank bought a new position in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 289,313 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $51,567,000. Booking accounts for approximately 2.8% of Thomasville National Bank's portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest holding.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of BKNG. Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd acquired a new position in Booking during the fourth quarter worth about $361,463,000. Rit Capital Partners PLC bought a new position in shares of Booking in the fourth quarter worth about $51,396,000. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Booking in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $210,352,000. Cardano Risk Management B.V. boosted its stake in shares of Booking by 862.0% in the 4th quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 218,080 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,167,890,000 after purchasing an additional 195,411 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Booking by 36.7% in the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 56,087 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $300,364,000 after purchasing an additional 15,053 shares in the last quarter. 92.42% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Booking news, Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 1,125 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.00, for a total transaction of $216,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 16,508 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,169,536. This represents a 6.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, VP Peter J. Millones sold 62,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.67, for a total value of $10,229,375.00. Following the sale, the vice president owned 425,075 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $69,572,025.25. The trade was a 12.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 69,625 shares of company stock valued at $11,652,075 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

Booking Price Performance

Booking stock opened at $212.26 on Thursday. The stock's 50 day moving average is $182.16 and its 200 day moving average is $176.92. Booking Holdings Inc. has a one year low of $150.14 and a one year high of $231.80. The firm has a market cap of $159.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.07.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The business services provider reported $2.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.43 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $7.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.19 billion. Booking had a net margin of 25.53% and a negative return on equity of 102.96%. The company's revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $55.40 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 11th. Booking's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.58%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on BKNG shares. Gordon Haskett upped their price objective on shares of Booking from $217.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Booking from $224.00 to $208.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. B. Riley Financial reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $274.00 target price (up from $264.00) on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Booking from $266.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Susquehanna reiterated a "positive" rating and issued a $240.00 price target on shares of Booking in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $235.72.

Booking Company Profile

Booking Holdings Inc is a global online travel company that operates a portfolio of consumer brands and technology platforms that facilitate the search for and booking of travel services. The company's businesses focus on accommodations, transportation and related travel services through consumer-facing websites and apps as well as partner distribution channels. Booking Holdings was originally founded as Priceline in the late 1990s and adopted the Booking Holdings name in 2018; it is headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut.

Its core offerings include online reservations for hotels, vacation rentals and other lodging; flight and car rental search and booking; and ancillary services that support travel planning and on-property experiences.

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