Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG Shares Acquired by Chesley Taft & Associates LLC

Chesley Taft & Associates LLC grew its holdings in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 2,394.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 11,300 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,847 shares during the quarter. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC’s holdings in Booking were worth $2,014,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. J. Stern & Co. LLP lifted its holdings in Booking by 191,965.8% during the 4th quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 2,832,970 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $15,171,489,000 after buying an additional 2,831,495 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia grew its stake in shares of Booking by 1,497.3% in the first quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 870,520 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,665,168,000 after acquiring an additional 816,022 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its position in shares of Booking by 66,209.8% during the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 659,783 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $117,600,000 after acquiring an additional 658,788 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Booking in the fourth quarter valued at $3,271,041,000. Finally, Czech National Bank raised its stake in shares of Booking by 2,412.4% in the second quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 220,560 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $39,313,000 after acquiring an additional 211,781 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Booking

In other Booking news, VP Peter J. Millones sold 62,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.67, for a total value of $10,229,375.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 425,075 shares in the company, valued at $69,572,025.25. This represents a 12.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Robert J. Mylod, Jr. sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $1,000,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 16,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,200,000. The trade was a 23.81% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 69,625 shares of company stock worth $11,652,075 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating and set a $236.00 target price (up from $225.00) on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday. Benchmark lifted their price objective on Booking from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Booking in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. Gordon Haskett upped their target price on shares of Booking from $217.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, B. Riley Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $274.00 target price (up from $264.00) on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Booking presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $234.69.

Booking Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ BKNG opened at $214.42 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $161.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.07. The business has a 50-day moving average of $179.43 and a two-hundred day moving average of $176.56. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 1 year low of $150.14 and a 1 year high of $231.80.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The business services provider reported $2.54 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.43 by $0.11. Booking had a negative return on equity of 102.96% and a net margin of 25.53%.The business had revenue of $7.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $55.40 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Booking Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 11th will be issued a $0.42 dividend. 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 is 18.58%.

Booking News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly results exceeded expectations: Booking reported adjusted earnings of $2.54 per share, above the $2.43 consensus estimate, while revenue increased 8.1% year over year to $7.35 billion, surpassing forecasts of $7.19 billion. The results suggested resilient travel demand and helped support the stock’s advance.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst optimism strengthened: UBS raised its price target to $274, while Wedbush, Benchmark and BTIG maintained bullish ratings with targets ranging from $247 to $250. The analyst actions reinforce expectations for additional upside following the earnings report. Booking Given New Price Target at UBS Group
• Positive Sentiment: Longer-term growth initiatives remain supportive: Management cited early benefits from artificial-intelligence personalization, cost savings and its connected-trip strategy, potentially improving efficiency and expanding customer engagement. Is Booking Holdings a Buying Opportunity?
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend provides modest shareholder support: Booking declared a quarterly dividend of $0.42 per share, payable September 30 to shareholders of record September 11. The annualized yield of approximately 0.8% is unlikely to materially change the investment case.
• Neutral Sentiment: Director sale was scheduled in advance: Director Robert Mylod Jr. sold 1,000 shares for $206,700 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. He continues to own 15,000 shares, limiting the significance of the transaction as a bearish signal. Booking Director Stock Sale
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term outlook is less robust: Investors remain cautious about soft third-quarter revenue guidance, moderating room-night growth and marketing expenses rising faster than revenue. Competition from Google, geopolitical uncertainty and technically overbought conditions could limit further gains after the recent rally. Why Analysts Are Bullish on Booking

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.