Qtron Investments LLC Reduces Stake in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG)

Qtron Investments LLC cut its position in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG - Free Report) by 12.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 533 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 73 shares during the quarter. Qtron Investments LLC's holdings in Booking were worth $2,648,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of BKNG. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc bought a new stake in shares of Booking in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Booking in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new stake in Booking in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. purchased a new stake in shares of Booking during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Promus Capital LLC bought a new stake in Booking in the 4th quarter worth $35,000. 92.42% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Booking Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of Booking stock traded down $29.69 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $4,556.84. 288,049 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 248,546. Booking Holdings Inc. has a one year low of $3,180.00 and a one year high of $5,337.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $149.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $4,712.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $4,771.67.

Remove Ads

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

Booking Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were issued a $9.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $38.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.84%. This is an increase from Booking's previous quarterly dividend of $8.75. Booking's dividend payout ratio is currently 22.19%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on BKNG shares. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Booking from $5,500.00 to $5,800.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Wedbush increased their target price on Booking from $5,000.00 to $5,500.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. BTIG Research upgraded Booking from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $5,500.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, April 4th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Booking from $4,600.00 to $5,000.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Cfra raised Booking from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $5,327.28.

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.