Luma Capital S.A. SPF Has $5.56 Million Stock Holdings in Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG

Luma Capital S.A. SPF boosted its position in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 2,400.0% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 31,175 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 29,928 shares during the quarter. Booking makes up about 5.0% of Luma Capital S.A. SPF’s holdings, making the stock its 8th biggest position. Luma Capital S.A. SPF’s holdings in Booking were worth $5,557,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of BKNG. PensionDanmark Pensionsforsikringsaktieselskab lifted its position in Booking by 2,591.1% during the 2nd quarter. PensionDanmark Pensionsforsikringsaktieselskab now owns 217,143 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $38,704,000 after acquiring an additional 209,074 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its holdings in Booking by 66,209.8% during the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 659,783 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $117,600,000 after acquiring an additional 658,788 shares during the period. Apella Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Booking by 6.2% in the second quarter. Apella Capital LLC now owns 2,178 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $396,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. Westmount Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Booking by 2,372.5% in the second quarter. Westmount Partners LLC now owns 1,706 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $304,000 after purchasing an additional 1,637 shares during the last quarter. Finally, 55 North Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of Booking by 2,633.3% in the second quarter. 55 North Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,886 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $336,000 after purchasing an additional 1,817 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Vanessa Ames Wittman sold 1,125 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.00, for a total value of $216,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 16,508 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,169,536. This represents a 6.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Robert J. Mylod, Jr. sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $206.70, for a total transaction of $206,700.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 15,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,100,500. The trade was a 6.25% 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 have sold 69,625 shares of company stock worth $11,652,075 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Booking Stock Up 0.2%

Booking stock opened at $207.39 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $178.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $176.73. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $150.14 and a 12 month high of $231.80. The stock has a market cap of $155.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.07.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The business services provider reported $2.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.43 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $7.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.19 billion. Booking had a negative return on equity of 102.96% and a net margin of 25.53%.Booking’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $55.40 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Booking Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 11th will be given a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 11th. Booking’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.58%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on BKNG shares. Weiss Ratings raised Booking from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. HSBC dropped their price target on Booking from $309.84 to $298.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Wedbush increased their price objective on Booking from $211.00 to $247.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Booking from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Evercore set a $245.00 target price on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Booking has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $234.69.

Trending Headlines about Booking

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 earnings and revenue beat expectations: Booking reported adjusted earnings of $2.54 per share versus the $2.43 consensus, while revenue rose 8.1% year over year to $7.35 billion, exceeding estimates of $7.19 billion. Growth in room nights, gross bookings and EBITDA pointed to continued travel demand. Booking Holdings Q2 results top estimates as travel demand remains resilient
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised targets and maintained bullish ratings: UBS lifted its target to $274 and kept a Buy rating, while Wedbush raised its target to $247 with an Outperform rating. Benchmark increased its target to $250, and BTIG reaffirmed its Buy rating with a $250 target. Booking Given New Price Target at UBS Group
• Positive Sentiment: Operational initiatives remain supportive: Management highlighted early benefits from artificial-intelligence personalization, higher savings and growth in its connected-trip offerings, which could support efficiency and longer-term expansion. BKNG Q2 Earnings Call Centers on Resilience, AI and Savings
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend declared: Booking declared a quarterly dividend of $0.42 per share, payable September 30 to shareholders of record September 11. The modest 0.8% yield is supportive of shareholder returns but unlikely to materially affect valuation.
• Neutral Sentiment: Director stock sale: Director Robert J. Mylod Jr. sold 1,000 shares worth $206,700 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. Because the sale was scheduled in advance and leaves him with 15,000 shares, it is not necessarily a bearish signal. SEC Form 4 filing
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term concerns temper the optimism: Third-quarter revenue guidance was viewed as soft, room-night growth is slowing, and marketing expenses are rising faster than revenue. Geopolitical volatility and competition from Google also remain risks, while some commentary warned that the recent rally has left the stock technically overbought. Why Analysts Are Bullish on a Stock That’s Down 20%

Booking Profile

Booking Holdings Inc is a global online travel company that operates a portfolio of consumer brands and technology platforms that facilitate the search for and booking of travel services. The company’s businesses focus on accommodations, transportation and related travel services through consumer-facing websites and apps as well as partner distribution channels. Booking Holdings was originally founded as Priceline in the late 1990s and adopted the Booking Holdings name in 2018; it is headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut.

Its core offerings include online reservations for hotels, vacation rentals and other lodging; flight and car rental search and booking; and ancillary services that support travel planning and on-property experiences.