Unique Wealth LLC Raises Holdings in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG)

Unique Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 47.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 396 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the quarter. Unique Wealth LLC’s holdings in Booking were worth $1,437,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Booking Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ BKNG traded up $17.02 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $3,989.10. 498,275 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 177,827. The company has a market capitalization of $135.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 1.40. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $3,705.60 and a 200-day moving average price of $3,600.45. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 52-week low of $2,605.00 and a 52-week high of $4,004.40.

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

Booking Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 7th will be given a $8.75 dividend. This represents a $35.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 7th. Booking’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.25%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BKNG has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Booking from $3,800.00 to $4,500.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Booking from $3,950.00 to $4,025.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Booking from $3,435.00 to $3,494.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. StockNews.com cut shares of Booking from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 30th. Finally, JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and set a $3,950.00 price target on shares of Booking in a report on Monday, May 6th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $3,902.54.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Booking news, insider Paulo Pisano sold 227 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,580.75, for a total value of $812,830.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 4,233 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,157,314.75. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Radakovich Lynn Vojvodich sold 22 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,437.25, for a total transaction of $75,619.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 189 shares in the company, valued at approximately $649,640.25. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Paulo Pisano sold 227 shares of Booking stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,580.75, for a total transaction of $812,830.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 4,233 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,157,314.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 1,021 shares of company stock valued at $3,617,852. Corporate 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.