Sowell Financial Services LLC Has $1.19 Million Stock Position in Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG

Sowell Financial Services LLC raised its stake in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 2,503.5% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 6,665 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,409 shares during the period. Sowell Financial Services LLC’s holdings in Booking were worth $1,188,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Camelot Portfolios LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Booking during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Osbon Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Booking in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. First Financial Corp IN boosted its stake in Booking by 2,400.0% in the 2nd quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 150 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares during the period. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Booking during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Strive Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Booking during the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Booking Stock Down 0.3%

BKNG stock opened at $212.26 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $159.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.07. Booking Holdings Inc. has a twelve month low of $150.14 and a twelve month high of $231.80. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $182.16 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $176.92.

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 the consensus estimate of $2.43 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $7.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.19 billion. Booking had a negative return on equity of 102.96% and a net margin of 25.53%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $55.40 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company set a $220.00 price target on Booking and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Robert W. Baird set a $230.00 target price on Booking in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Bank of America restated a “buy” rating and issued a $234.00 target price on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Benchmark raised their price target on shares of Booking from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Mizuho set a $240.00 price objective on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $235.72.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Peter J. Millones sold 62,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was 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 directly owned 425,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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 SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 1,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $3,169,536. The trade was a 6.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 69,625 shares of company stock valued at $11,652,075. 0.17% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.