Two Sigma Advisers LP Boosts Stake in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG)

Two Sigma Advisers LP increased its holdings in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG - Free Report) by 162.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,600 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 7,800 shares during the quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP's holdings in Booking were worth $62,602,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc purchased a new stake in shares of Booking in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Booking during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new stake in Booking in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. acquired a new stake in shares of Booking in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Valley National Advisers Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Booking by 600.0% during the 4th quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 7 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 6 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.42% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on BKNG shares. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Booking from $5,550.00 to $5,700.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Booking from $5,960.00 to $5,557.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Booking from $5,500.00 to $5,800.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. BTIG Research upgraded Booking from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $5,500.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Booking from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $5,299.29.

Booking Stock Performance

Shares of BKNG opened at $5,378.00 on Tuesday. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 1 year low of $3,180.00 and a 1 year high of $5,392.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $175.00 billion, a PE ratio of 31.08, a PEG ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.42. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $4,754.85 and a 200-day simple moving average of $4,885.53.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The business services provider reported $24.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $17.57 by $7.24. Booking had a net margin of 24.78% and a negative return on equity of 159.34%. The company had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $20.39 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 209.92 EPS for the current year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 6th will be given a dividend of $9.60 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 6th. This represents a $38.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.71%. Booking's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.89%.

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.

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