Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) Shares Sold by U S Global Investors Inc.

U S Global Investors Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG - Free Report) by 14.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,555 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 581 shares during the period. Booking comprises 2.2% of U S Global Investors Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. U S Global Investors Inc.'s holdings in Booking were worth $16,378,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in Booking by 34.9% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 251 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,249,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Booking in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $209,000. IFP Advisors Inc raised its position in shares of Booking by 15.9% in the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 73 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $361,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Booking during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $65,000. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Booking by 16.7% during the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 868 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $4,313,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.42% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on BKNG. Wall Street Zen upgraded Booking from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Booking from $5,000.00 to $5,700.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Booking from $4,567.00 to $4,692.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Booking from $5,960.00 to $5,557.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $5,900.00 price objective on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Booking presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $5,388.37.

Booking Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of NASDAQ BKNG traded up $97.13 on Friday, hitting $5,693.13. The company had a trading volume of 297,425 shares, compared to its average volume of 248,126. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $3,180.00 and a 12-month high of $5,711.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $185.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.42, a PEG ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.41. The business has a 50 day moving average of $5,274.77 and a two-hundred day moving average of $4,954.74.

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

Booking Dividend Announcement

The company 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 $9.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 6th. This represents a $38.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.67%. Booking's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.89%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 1,013 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5,356.07, for a total value of $5,425,698.91. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 27,646 shares in the company, valued at approximately $148,073,911.22. This represents a 3.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

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.