Seilern Investment Management Ltd Purchases 11,777 Shares of Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG

Seilern Investment Management Ltd boosted its position in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 2,027.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 12,358 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 11,777 shares during the quarter. Booking makes up about 0.3% of Seilern Investment Management Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest position. Seilern Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in Booking were worth $2,203,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Booking during the 4th quarter worth about $361,463,000. Rit Capital Partners PLC bought a new position in shares of Booking in the 4th quarter valued at about $51,396,000. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Booking in the fourth quarter valued at about $210,352,000. Cardano Risk Management B.V. raised its holdings in Booking by 862.0% during the fourth quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 218,080 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,167,890,000 after acquiring an additional 195,411 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rathbones Group PLC raised its holdings in Booking by 20.5% during the fourth quarter. Rathbones Group PLC now owns 64,908 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $347,604,000 after acquiring an additional 11,042 shares in the last quarter. 92.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 1,125 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.00, for a total value of $216,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 16,508 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,169,536. This represents a 6.38% 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. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, VP Peter J. Millones sold 62,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.67, for a total transaction of $10,229,375.00. Following the sale, the vice president owned 425,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $69,572,025.25. This represents a 12.82% 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 valued at $11,652,075 over the last ninety days. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on BKNG. DA Davidson set a $240.00 price target on Booking in a research note on Thursday. Benchmark upped their price objective on Booking from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Booking in a report on Thursday, June 11th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $230.00 target price (down from $240.00) on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $230.00 target price on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Booking presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $234.69.

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 Trading Up 3.4%

Shares of NASDAQ BKNG 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 stock has a 50 day moving average of $179.43 and a 200-day moving average of $176.56. The company has a market capitalization of $161.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.73, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.07.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last posted its earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The business services provider reported $2.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 analyst estimates of $7.19 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $55.40 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

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

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.