Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Acquires 9,963 Shares of Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. increased its holdings in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 40.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 34,818 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 9,963 shares during the period. Booking comprises approximately 1.1% of Epoch Investment Partners Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. owned about 0.11% of Booking worth $186,462,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Monetary Management Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Booking by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Monetary Management Group Inc. now owns 188 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,015,000 after acquiring an additional 2 shares in the last quarter. Elgethun Capital Management raised its stake in shares of Booking by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Elgethun Capital Management now owns 97 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $517,000 after acquiring an additional 2 shares in the last quarter. First Western Trust Bank raised its stake in shares of Booking by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. First Western Trust Bank now owns 60 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $324,000 after acquiring an additional 2 shares in the last quarter. CGN Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Booking by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. CGN Advisors LLC now owns 57 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $305,000 after acquiring an additional 2 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Howard Financial Services LTD. raised its stake in shares of Booking by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Howard Financial Services LTD. now owns 140 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $750,000 after acquiring an additional 2 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Booking

In other Booking news, Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 1,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.00, for a total value of $216,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 16,050 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,081,600. This represents a 6.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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 company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.67, for a total transaction of $10,229,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 425,075 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,572,025.25. The trade was a 12.82% 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. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 97,076 shares of company stock valued at $16,417,121. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Booking Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of NASDAQ BKNG opened at $164.94 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $169.43 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $184.11. The stock has a market cap of $127.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.70, a PEG ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.08. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $150.14 and a 12 month high of $233.58.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $5.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.52 billion. Booking had a net margin of 22.23% and a negative return on equity of 117.14%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 16.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.99 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.44 EPS for the current year.

Booking Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be issued a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 5th. Booking’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BKNG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Mizuho reduced their price objective on shares of Booking from $230.00 to $220.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Piper Sandler set a $195.00 price target on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Booking from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $246.00 to $220.00 in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Susquehanna set a $260.00 price objective on shares of Booking in a report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Citigroup cut their target price on Booking from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $227.14.

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.