Sompo Asset Management Co. Ltd. Grows Holdings in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG)

Sompo Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 2.7% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 380 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the quarter. Sompo Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Booking were worth $1,505,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hilltop Holdings Inc. grew its stake in Booking by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. now owns 358 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,270,000 after acquiring an additional 3 shares in the last quarter. PARUS FINANCE UK Ltd increased its holdings in Booking by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. PARUS FINANCE UK Ltd now owns 863 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,061,000 after purchasing an additional 3 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its position in Booking by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 624 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,264,000 after purchasing an additional 3 shares in the last quarter. Aspiriant LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Booking by 4.8% in the 1st quarter. Aspiriant LLC now owns 65 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $236,000 after buying an additional 3 shares during the period. Finally, Consilio Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Booking by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. Consilio Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 178 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $647,000 after buying an additional 3 shares in the last quarter. 92.42% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Booking Stock Performance

NASDAQ BKNG opened at $4,064.01 on Friday. Booking Holdings Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $2,733.04 and a fifty-two week high of $4,144.32. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $3,772.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $3,725.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $136.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.40.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The business services provider reported $41.90 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $39.22 by $2.68. Booking had a net margin of 22.46% and a negative return on equity of 200.87%. The company had revenue of $5.86 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.77 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $37.62 earnings per share. Booking’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side 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 will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 6th will be given a $8.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 6th. This represents a $35.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.86%. Booking’s payout ratio is 26.25%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on BKNG shares. StockNews.com cut Booking from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $3,900.00 target price on shares of Booking in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Booking from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, June 14th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered 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. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on Booking from $4,300.00 to $3,900.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $4,064.21.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Booking Company 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.