14,955 Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG Shares Sold by Provident Investment Management Inc.

Provident Investment Management Inc. reduced its stake in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 8.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 171,642 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 14,955 shares during the period. Booking makes up approximately 2.8% of Provident Investment Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Provident Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Booking were worth $27,962,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of BKNG. Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in Booking by 1,615.6% during the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 13,931 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,483,000 after acquiring an additional 13,119 shares in the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG bought a new position in shares of Booking during the second quarter valued at $11,687,000. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC boosted its stake in shares of Booking by 2,860.8% in the 2nd quarter. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC now owns 12,554 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,238,000 after purchasing an additional 12,130 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Booking by 2,549.7% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 88,949 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $16,077,000 after purchasing an additional 85,592 shares in the last quarter. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Booking by 4,630.9% in the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 24,175 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $4,309,000 after purchasing an additional 23,664 shares in the last quarter. 92.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Booking Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ BKNG opened at $155.83 on Monday. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 1-year low of $150.14 and a 1-year high of $220.81. The company has a market cap of $117.09 billion, a PE ratio of 17.25, a P/E/G ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a 50-day moving average of $176.85 and a two-hundred day moving average of $177.37.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last announced its earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The business services provider reported $2.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.43 by $0.11. Booking had a net margin of 25.53% and a negative return on equity of 102.96%. The company had revenue of $7.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $55.40 earnings per share. Booking’s quarterly revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Booking Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 11th were given a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 11th. Booking’s payout ratio is 18.58%.

Insider Activity

In other Booking news, insider Paulo Pisano sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $203.48, for a total value of $610,440.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 73,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,935,432. This trade represents a 3.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Robert J. Mylod, Jr. sold 5,000 shares of Booking stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $1,000,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 16,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,200,000. This trade represents a 23.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 84,550 shares of company stock worth $17,426,864. 0.17% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $240.00 target price (up from $215.00) on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Citigroup reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Booking in a report on Thursday, September 24th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Booking from $266.00 to $274.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $188.00 price objective on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, August 26th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $216.00 price objective on shares of Booking and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 30th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have assigned a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $233.71.

About Booking

Booking Holdings Inc is a global online travel and restaurant-reservation company that connects consumers with travel providers through digital platforms and mobile applications. Its services include accommodations, flights, rental cars, cruises, vacation packages, restaurant reservations and other travel-related offerings.

The company operates a portfolio of well-known brands, including Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, KAYAK, OpenTable, Rentalcars.com and Kayak-associated travel services.