Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) Shares Purchased by Thomasville National Bank

Thomasville National Bank lifted its position in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG - Free Report) by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,151 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 209 shares during the quarter. Booking comprises approximately 3.5% of Thomasville National Bank's holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Thomasville National Bank's holdings in Booking were worth $46,969,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Grove Bank & Trust raised its position in Booking by 133.3% in 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 stake in shares of Booking during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Kings Path Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Booking in the second quarter valued at $28,000. West Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Booking during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Booking during the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Institutional investors own 92.42% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BKNG has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. DA Davidson decreased their price objective on shares of Booking from $4,150.00 to $4,100.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Wedbush increased their target price on Booking from $3,850.00 to $4,200.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Booking from $3,900.00 to $4,500.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $3,590.00 target price on shares of Booking in a report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut Booking from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their target price for the company from $4,350.00 to $4,200.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $4,092.68.

Booking Price Performance

BKNG stock traded up $12.99 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $4,297.72. The stock had a trading volume of 139,758 shares, compared to its average volume of 249,184. The company's 50-day moving average price is $3,885.93 and its 200 day moving average price is $3,798.34. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $2,733.04 and a 12-month high of $4,328.54. The firm has a market cap of $145.81 billion, a PE ratio of 32.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.40.

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

Booking Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 6th were issued a $8.75 dividend. This represents a $35.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 6th. Booking's dividend payout ratio is presently 26.25%.

Insider Activity at Booking

In other Booking news, insider Paulo Pisano sold 100 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 3,787 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,722,379.07. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.12% of the company's stock.

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.