Busey Bank Acquires New Holdings in Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG

Busey Bank bought a new stake in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor bought 33,039 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $5,383,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR boosted its stake in shares of Booking by 2.1% during the third quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR now owns 73,650 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $11,998,000 after acquiring an additional 1,548 shares during the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Booking by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 355,596 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $57,930,000 after purchasing an additional 2,318 shares during the last quarter. Balance Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Booking in the 3rd quarter valued at about $47,000. SYM FINANCIAL Corp raised its stake in Booking by 34.4% in the 3rd quarter. SYM FINANCIAL Corp now owns 4,637 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $755,000 after purchasing an additional 1,186 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pflug Koory LLC raised its stake in Booking by 8.3% in the 3rd quarter. Pflug Koory LLC now owns 5,076 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $827,000 after purchasing an additional 389 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Booking

In other news, VP Peter Millones, Jr. sold 50,050 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.59, for a total transaction of $10,389,879.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 375,025 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $77,851,439.75. This represents a 11.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Robert Mylod, Jr. sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $200,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 14,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,800,000. The trade was a 6.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 78,425 shares of company stock worth $16,210,864. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Booking Stock Down 2.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:BKNG opened at $150.14 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $112.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.62 and a beta of 1.13. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $149.87 and a 52 week high of $220.81. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $174.95 and a 200-day simple moving average of $178.28.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last released its earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The business services provider reported $2.54 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.43 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $7.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $55.40 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 11th were issued a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 11th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Booking’s payout ratio is 18.58%.

Trending Headlines about Booking

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Booking has delivered stronger revenue momentum than Advance Auto Parts over the past eight quarters, although its results show significant seasonal fluctuations. Advance Auto Parts vs. Booking Holdings: Flat Against Volatile Revenue
• Positive Sentiment: Investors purchased approximately 48,851 BKNG call options, roughly 225% above typical call volume. The activity may indicate bullish positioning or expectations for a rebound, though options flows can be speculative. Booking Holdings has huge, unusual call options activity
• Neutral Sentiment: Booking is expected to report quarterly results next week. Investors will focus on bookings, travel demand, margins, and management’s outlook for the remainder of the year. Booking Expected to Release Quarterly Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts cited a lack of the usual factors supporting a likely earnings beat, increasing downside risk ahead of the report and likely contributing to investor caution. Booking Holdings Earnings Expected to Grow
• Negative Sentiment: BKNG recently reached a fresh 52-week low, signaling persistent technical weakness and reduced investor confidence ahead of earnings. Booking Holdings Falls to a Fresh 52-Week Low
• Negative Sentiment: Bank of America lowered its BKNG price target to $232, although the revised target remains substantially above recent trading levels. Booking Holdings Price Target Lowered

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on BKNG shares. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 target price (up from $240.00) on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Argus lifted their price target on shares of Booking from $210.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $188.00 price target on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, August 26th. Benchmark boosted their price objective on shares of Booking from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Bank of America reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Booking in a research note on Monday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have issued a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Booking has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $233.71.

Booking Profile

Booking Holdings Inc is a global online travel and restaurant-reservation company that connects consumers with travel providers through digital platforms and mobile applications. Its services include accommodations, flights, rental cars, cruises, vacation packages, restaurant reservations and other travel-related offerings.

The company operates a portfolio of well-known brands, including Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, KAYAK, OpenTable, Rentalcars.com and Kayak-associated travel services.