Nwam LLC Lowers Stake in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG)

Nwam LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 2.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 134 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 3 shares during the period. Nwam LLC’s holdings in Booking were worth $483,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Activest Wealth Management bought a new stake in Booking during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Naples Money Management LLC bought a new stake in Booking during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Booking during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Booking during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Bourgeon Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Booking during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. 92.42% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BKNG has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Booking from $3,950.00 to $4,025.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. Tigress Financial lifted their price target on shares of Booking from $4,285.00 to $4,580.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Booking from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Booking from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 14th. Finally, B. Riley lifted their price target on shares of Booking from $4,400.00 to $4,900.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 12th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $3,980.15.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 750 shares of the business’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 in the company, valued at $100,556,375.65. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, Director Radakovich Lynn Vojvodich sold 22 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,437.25, for a total value of $75,619.50. Following the sale, the director now owns 189 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $649,640.25. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 750 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $4,067.65, for a total transaction of $3,050,737.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 24,721 shares in the company, valued at approximately $100,556,375.65. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 999 shares of company stock worth $3,939,187. Insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Booking Stock Performance

BKNG stock opened at $3,967.25 on Friday. Booking Holdings Inc. has a one year low of $2,733.04 and a one year high of $4,144.32. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $3,882.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $3,673.84. The company has a market capitalization of $134.61 billion, a PE ratio of 29.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 1.38.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The business services provider reported $20.39 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $14.03 by $6.36. Booking had a net margin of 21.81% and a negative return on equity of 288.35%. The firm had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.25 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $11.60 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 16.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 178.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Friday, June 7th were given a $8.75 dividend. This represents a $35.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 7th. Booking’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.25%.

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.