Aristides Capital LLC Purchases 80 Shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG)

Aristides Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 20.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 480 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the quarter. Booking comprises 0.5% of Aristides Capital LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. Aristides Capital LLC’s holdings in Booking were worth $1,902,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BKNG. Troy Asset Management Ltd boosted its stake in Booking by 2.2% in the 2nd quarter. Troy Asset Management Ltd now owns 8,191 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $32,449,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. Aurora Investment Counsel acquired a new stake in shares of Booking in the second quarter valued at approximately $3,050,000. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its position in Booking by 3.6% during the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 7,502 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $29,722,000 after buying an additional 261 shares in the last quarter. Ted Buchan & Co purchased a new position in shares of Booking during the 2nd quarter worth $321,000. Finally, Next Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Booking during the second quarter worth about $202,000. 92.42% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $4,067.65, for a total value of $3,050,737.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 24,721 shares in the company, valued at approximately $100,556,375.65. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, insider Paulo Pisano sold 100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,887.61, for a total value of $388,761.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,787 shares in the company, valued at $14,722,379.07. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $4,067.65, for a total value of $3,050,737.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 24,721 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $100,556,375.65. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.12% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Booking Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ BKNG opened at $4,212.12 on Tuesday. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $2,733.04 and a 52 week high of $4,272.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $142.91 billion, a PE ratio of 31.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.40. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $3,795.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $3,758.88.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The business services provider reported $41.90 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $39.22 by $2.68. The firm had revenue of $5.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.77 billion. Booking had a net margin of 22.46% and a negative return on equity of 200.87%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $37.62 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 176.92 EPS for the current year.

Booking Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 6th were paid a $8.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 6th. This represents a $35.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.83%. Booking’s dividend payout ratio is 26.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on BKNG. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Booking from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $4,350.00 to $4,200.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $3,900.00 price objective on shares of Booking in a report on Monday, August 5th. B. Riley dropped their target price on shares of Booking from $4,900.00 to $4,650.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Wedbush boosted their price objective on shares of Booking from $3,850.00 to $4,200.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Booking from $4,025.00 to $3,860.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Booking currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $4,064.21.

Booking Profile

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.