Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC Acquires 833 Shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG)

Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC increased its stake in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG - Free Report) by 298.6% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,112 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 833 shares during the quarter. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC's holdings in Booking were worth $4,405,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of BKNG. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Booking during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in Booking by 133.3% during the second quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 7 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 4 shares during the last quarter. POM Investment Strategies LLC bought a new position in Booking during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Kings Path Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Booking in the second quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Financial Connections Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Booking in the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.42% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Booking

In other news, insider Paulo Pisano sold 100 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,887.61, for a total transaction of $388,761.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,787 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,722,379.07. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 750 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $4,067.65, for a total transaction of $3,050,737.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 24,721 shares in the company, valued at $100,556,375.65. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Paulo Pisano sold 100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,887.61, for a total transaction of $388,761.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 3,787 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,722,379.07. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on BKNG shares. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Booking from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, June 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Booking from $4,025.00 to $3,860.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Benchmark reduced their target price on Booking from $4,700.00 to $4,600.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Booking from $4,000.00 to $4,200.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. Finally, Truist Financial assumed coverage on shares of Booking in a report on Friday, September 6th. They set a "hold" rating and a $4,100.00 target price on the stock. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $4,064.21.

Booking Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of Booking stock traded up $61.89 on Friday, hitting $3,932.59. The stock had a trading volume of 159,697 shares, compared to its average volume of 255,735. Booking Holdings Inc. has a one year low of $2,733.04 and a one year high of $4,144.32. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $3,767.76 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $3,707.78. The stock has a market cap of $131.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.49, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.40.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The business services provider reported $41.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $39.22 by $2.68. Booking had a net margin of 22.46% and a negative return on equity of 200.87%. The business had revenue of $5.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.77 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $37.62 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 176.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Booking Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 6th will be issued a dividend of $8.75 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 6th. This represents a $35.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.89%. Booking's dividend payout ratio is presently 26.25%.

Booking Company Profile

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.