Kiltearn Partners LLP Buys New Position in Booking Holdings Inc. $BKNG

Kiltearn Partners LLP bought a new stake in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 19,653 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $3,503,000. Booking makes up 0.8% of Kiltearn Partners LLP’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of BKNG. Camelot Portfolios LLC bought a new position in shares of Booking during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Osbon Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Booking in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Booking in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Strive Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Booking in the third quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Swiss RE Ltd. acquired a new position in Booking during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Booking Trading Down 0.1%

NASDAQ BKNG opened at $209.62 on Friday. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $150.14 and a 12 month high of $231.80. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $188.60 and a 200-day moving average of $177.00. The company has a market cap of $157.50 billion, a PE ratio of 23.20, a PEG ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.07.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last issued its earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The business services provider reported $2.54 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $7.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.19 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $55.40 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 10.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $215.00 target price on shares of Booking and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. HSBC cut their price target on shares of Booking from $309.84 to $298.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Gordon Haskett increased their price objective on shares of Booking from $217.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Susquehanna restated a “positive” rating and issued a $240.00 price objective on shares of Booking in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $240.00 target price (up from $215.00) on shares of Booking in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. One investment analyst has 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $235.72.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Peter J. Millones sold 62,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.67, for a total value of $10,229,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 425,075 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,572,025.25. This trade represents a 12.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Robert J. Mylod, Jr. sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were 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 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. 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 140,050 shares of company stock valued at $26,341,680 over the last quarter. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Booking Company 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.