Intech Investment Management LLC Sells 4,205 Shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG)

Intech Investment Management LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG - Free Report) by 56.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,226 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 4,205 shares during the quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC's holdings in Booking were worth $16,028,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in BKNG. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc acquired a new position in Booking during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Booking during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Promus Capital LLC acquired a new position in Booking during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. increased its position in Booking by 600.0% during the 4th quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 7 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 6 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Roxbury Financial LLC acquired a new position in Booking during the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. 92.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on BKNG shares. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Booking from $4,600.00 to $5,000.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Booking from $5,400.00 to $6,000.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Benchmark raised their price target on shares of Booking from $5,000.00 to $5,900.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Booking from $5,250.00 to $5,900.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Booking from $4,470.00 to $5,248.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $5,370.43.

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Booking Stock Up 0.6 %

Booking stock traded up $28.23 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $4,617.26. 574,374 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 232,504. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 52-week low of $3,180.00 and a 52-week high of $5,337.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $151.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.40. The business's 50-day moving average price is $4,789.60 and its 200-day moving average price is $4,694.74.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The business services provider reported $41.55 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $35.82 by $5.73. The business had revenue of $5.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.18 billion. Booking had a net margin of 24.78% and a negative return on equity of 159.34%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 209.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Booking Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a $9.60 dividend. This is a positive change from Booking's previous quarterly dividend of $8.75. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $38.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.83%. Booking's payout ratio is currently 22.19%.

About Booking

Booking Holdings Inc, formerly The Priceline Group Inc, is a provider of travel and restaurant online reservation and related services. The Company, through its online travel companies (OTCs), connects consumers wishing to make travel reservations with providers of travel services across the world. It offers consumers an array of accommodation reservations (including hotels, bed and breakfasts, hostels, apartments, vacation rentals and other properties) through its Booking.com, priceline.com and agoda.com brands.