Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG Shares Bought by WINTON GROUP Ltd

WINTON GROUP Ltd grew its holdings in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 1,278.3% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 116,795 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 108,321 shares during the period. Booking comprises approximately 0.7% of WINTON GROUP Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. WINTON GROUP Ltd’s holdings in Booking were worth $20,818,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in BKNG. Engineers Gate Manager LP lifted its stake in shares of Booking by 1,813.3% during the second quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 6,199 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,105,000 after purchasing an additional 5,875 shares in the last quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Booking by 2,836.5% in the second quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,377 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $602,000 after buying an additional 3,262 shares in the last quarter. SVB Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Booking by 2,211.1% during the 2nd quarter. SVB Wealth LLC now owns 27,386 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $4,881,000 after buying an additional 26,201 shares during the period. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC lifted its position in Booking by 3,782.1% during the 2nd quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC now owns 5,862 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,045,000 after acquiring an additional 5,711 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NorthRock Partners LLC lifted its position in Booking by 24.3% during the 2nd quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC now owns 5,239 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $934,000 after acquiring an additional 1,024 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Booking Price Performance

Shares of BKNG stock opened at $173.43 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $194.39 and a two-hundred day moving average of $178.77. The firm has a market cap of $130.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.07. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 1-year low of $150.14 and a 1-year high of $225.00.

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

Booking Announces Dividend

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

Key Headlines Impacting Booking

Here are the key news stories impacting Booking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Travel demand remains relatively resilient despite geopolitical conflicts and a slower macroeconomic environment, supporting the outlook for Booking’s accommodation and travel-reservation businesses. Booking Holdings Stock: A Travel Stock to Buy Right Now?
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst-oriented coverage continues to characterize Booking as a growth stock, reflecting its scale, profitability and potential for continued expansion in online travel. The company’s most recent reported quarter also exceeded earnings and revenue expectations, providing fundamental support. Why Booking Holdings Is a Strong Growth Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Booking executives recently participated in Goldman Sachs and Citi technology conferences. The transcripts may provide insight into demand trends, artificial intelligence, competition and capital allocation, but the available headlines do not identify a specific new forecast or material change in guidance. Goldman Sachs Conference Transcript Citi Conference Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: The European court rejected Booking’s challenge to the EU veto of its ETraveli acquisition, effectively ending the company’s effort to purchase the flight-booking platform. The ruling removes a potential avenue for expansion and could weigh on investor sentiment regarding Booking’s regulatory exposure and acquisition strategy. Booking Loses Court Fight Against EU Veto of ETraveli Deal

Insider Buying and Selling at Booking

In other Booking news, CFO Ewout L. Steenbergen sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $211.03, for a total transaction of $4,220,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 59,794 shares in the company, valued at $12,618,327.82. The trade was a 25.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, 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 transaction of $610,440.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 73,400 shares in the company, valued at $14,935,432. This trade represents a 3.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 81,550 shares of company stock worth $16,922,744. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BKNG has been the subject of several recent research reports. DA Davidson set a $240.00 price objective on shares of Booking in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $270.00 target price on shares of Booking in a research note on Monday, August 24th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of Booking in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Booking from $266.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $230.00 price objective on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $236.70.

Booking Company Profile

Booking Holdings Inc is a global provider of online travel and related services. The company connects consumers with accommodations, flights, rental cars, restaurants and travel experiences through a portfolio of digital brands and websites.

Its principal brands include Booking.com, which offers lodging, transportation and travel experiences; Priceline, which provides online booking services for hotels, flights, rental cars and vacation packages; Agoda, which focuses primarily on travel bookings in Asia and other international markets; KAYAK, a travel metasearch engine; OpenTable, a restaurant reservation and management platform; and Rentalcars.com, a global car rental service.

Booking Holdings serves customers, travel providers and restaurants across numerous countries and regions, with a particularly extensive international presence.