HF Advisory Group LLC Has $4.08 Million Holdings in Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG

HF Advisory Group LLC increased its holdings in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 2,807.2% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 22,909 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 22,121 shares during the period. Booking accounts for approximately 1.3% of HF Advisory Group LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. HF Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in Booking were worth $4,083,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Booking by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,997,949 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $16,055,006,000 after purchasing an additional 23,159 shares during the last quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP grew its holdings in Booking by 191,965.8% during the fourth quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 2,832,970 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $15,171,489,000 after purchasing an additional 2,831,495 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Booking by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,435,116 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $7,685,520,000 after purchasing an additional 6,976 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in Booking by 15.4% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 966,121 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $5,173,899,000 after purchasing an additional 128,700 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia raised its position 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 valued at $3,665,168,000 after purchasing an additional 816,022 shares during the period. 92.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Booking

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 Stock Up 3.4%

Shares of BKNG stock opened at $214.42 on Friday. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $150.14 and a 12 month high of $231.80. The firm has a market cap of $161.11 billion, a PE ratio of 23.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.07. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $179.43 and a 200-day moving average of $176.56.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. Booking had a net margin of 25.53% and a negative return on equity of 102.96%. The business had revenue of $7.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $55.40 earnings per share. Booking’s quarterly revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Booking Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 11th will be given a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 11th. Booking’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.58%.

Insider Transactions at Booking

In related news, VP Peter J. Millones sold 62,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the vice president owned 425,075 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,572,025.25. This trade represents a 12.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 1,125 shares of Booking stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.00, for a total value of $216,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 16,508 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,169,536. This trade represents a 6.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 69,625 shares of company stock worth $11,652,075. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BKNG has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Benchmark boosted their price objective on shares of Booking from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Wedbush raised their target price on shares of Booking from $211.00 to $247.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Barclays set a $210.00 target price on shares of Booking and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Booking from $266.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price target (up from $240.00) 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 data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $234.69.

Booking 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.