8,367 Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG Shares Sold by U S Global Investors Inc.

U S Global Investors Inc. lowered its holdings in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 8.2% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 93,179 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 8,367 shares during the period. Booking makes up about 1.5% of U S Global Investors Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding. U S Global Investors Inc.’s holdings in Booking were worth $15,180,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of BKNG. Sepio Capital LP purchased a new stake in Booking in the 3rd quarter worth about $486,000. WP Advisors LLC raised its position in Booking by 6.8% during the third quarter. WP Advisors LLC now owns 17,080 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,783,000 after purchasing an additional 1,086 shares in the last quarter. NBT Bank N.A. purchased a new position in shares of Booking during the third quarter worth approximately $228,000. Root Financial Partners LLC lifted its stake in Booking by 27.8% in the third quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 2,485 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $405,000 after purchasing an additional 541 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Precedent Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Booking in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $354,000. 92.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Booking News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BTIG Research reaffirmed its Buy rating and set a $250 price target, implying substantial upside from recent trading levels. The call provides bullish analyst support despite the latest weakness. BTIG Research Booking rating
• Positive Sentiment: Booking remains a major global online-travel platform with significant scale and a diversified brand portfolio, supporting its ability to capture travel demand. The comparison with Airbnb highlights Booking’s established competitive position, although it also underscores ongoing competition in the sector. Airbnb versus Booking comparison
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent market coverage attributed Booking’s decline to company-specific concerns rather than broad market weakness, indicating that investors are focusing on the regulatory news and its potential implications. Booking Holdings stock decline analysis
• Negative Sentiment: The European Union opened an investigation into Booking.com over alleged shortcomings in addressing fraudulent listings and phishing scams. Regulators are also examining advertising transparency. The probe could increase compliance costs, create reputational risk, and potentially lead to enforcement measures, weighing on investor sentiment. Reuters report on EU investigation
• Negative Sentiment: Shares declined while the broader market gained, reinforcing that the EU fraud-risk investigation is the primary near-term catalyst behind BKNG’s weakness. EU investigates Booking.com over fraud risks

Booking Trading Up 1.7%

Shares of NASDAQ BKNG opened at $161.10 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $121.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.83, a P/E/G ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.13. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $150.14 and a 12-month high of $220.81. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $177.97 and its 200-day moving average price is $177.38.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last released its earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The business services provider reported $2.54 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.43 by $0.11. Booking had a negative return on equity of 102.96% and a net margin of 25.53%. The firm had revenue of $7.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $55.40 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 11th were issued a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 11th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Booking’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.58%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BKNG has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Argus boosted their price target on Booking from $210.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and issued a $230.00 price target on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Cantor Fitzgerald decreased their target price on shares of Booking from $220.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 12th. Piper Sandler reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $215.00 price target (up from $195.00) on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Booking from $266.00 to $274.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have issued a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Booking currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $233.71.

Insider Activity at Booking

In other Booking news, insider Paulo Pisano sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $203.48, for a total transaction of $610,440.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 73,400 shares in the company, valued at $14,935,432. This trade represents a 3.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Robert Mylod, Jr. sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction 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 approximately $3,200,000. This trade represents a 23.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 84,550 shares of company stock worth $17,426,864 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Booking Profile

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.