Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) Shares Sold by Hickory Asset Management Inc.

Hickory Asset Management Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 3.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 315 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 12 shares during the period. Booking comprises about 1.3% of Hickory Asset Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Hickory Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Booking were worth $1,453,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Booking during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. purchased a new position in shares of Booking during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Promus Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Booking during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda purchased a new position in shares of Booking during the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Booking during the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. 92.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Booking Stock Down 3.0%

Shares of BKNG stock opened at $5,298.38 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $5,098.72 and a two-hundred day moving average of $4,944.08. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $3,180.00 and a 52 week high of $5,639.70. The company has a market cap of $172.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.62, a PEG ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.41.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The business services provider reported $24.81 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $17.57 by $7.24. Booking had a net margin of 24.78% and a negative return on equity of 159.34%. The firm had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $20.39 EPS. Booking’s quarterly revenue was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 209.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Booking Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 6th will be given a $9.60 dividend. This represents a $38.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 6th. Booking’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.89%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on BKNG. B. Riley lifted their target price on shares of Booking from $6,000.00 to $6,100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. JMP Securities lifted their target price on shares of Booking from $5,600.00 to $5,700.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Booking from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Booking from $5,100.00 to $5,600.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Booking from $5,960.00 to $5,557.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Booking has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $5,388.37.

About Booking

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.