Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) Shares Purchased by Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI

Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI boosted its position in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 178.6% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 691 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 443 shares during the quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI’s holdings in Booking were worth $2,738,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of BKNG. Global Assets Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of Booking in the first quarter valued at approximately $401,371,000. BlueSpruce Investments LP acquired a new position in shares of Booking in the fourth quarter worth $220,080,000. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Booking by 4,565.4% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 62,610 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $227,143,000 after acquiring an additional 61,268 shares during the period. Morningstar Investment Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Booking by 96.3% in the fourth quarter. Morningstar Investment Services LLC now owns 113,572 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $403,233,000 after acquiring an additional 55,716 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mawer Investment Management Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Booking by 29.2% in the first quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. now owns 193,515 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $702,049,000 after acquiring an additional 43,743 shares in the last quarter. 92.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Booking Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ BKNG opened at $3,979.00 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $3,767.65 and a 200 day moving average price of $3,712.87. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 1-year low of $2,733.04 and a 1-year high of $4,144.32. The company has a market cap of $133.38 billion, a PE ratio of 29.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 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 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $39.22 by $2.68. Booking had a net margin of 22.46% and a negative return on equity of 200.87%. The business had revenue of $5.86 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.77 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $37.62 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 176.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Booking Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 6th will be given a dividend of $8.75 per share. This represents a $35.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 6th. Booking’s payout ratio is 26.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on BKNG shares. B. Riley lowered their target price on Booking from $4,900.00 to $4,650.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Wedbush upped their target price on shares of Booking from $3,850.00 to $4,200.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Booking from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on shares of Booking from $4,275.00 to $4,105.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Booking from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Booking has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $4,064.21.

Insider Transactions at Booking

In related news, insider Paulo Pisano sold 100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,887.61, for a total transaction 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, insider Paulo Pisano sold 100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,887.61, for a total transaction of $388,761.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 3,787 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,722,379.07. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 750 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 24,721 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $100,556,375.65. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

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.