Nelson Capital Management LLC Reduces Stock Position in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG)

Nelson Capital Management LLC lowered its position in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,130 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 17 shares during the period. Nelson Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Booking were worth $4,476,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Booking in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust lifted its position in shares of Booking by 133.3% in the 2nd quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 7 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 4 shares during the period. POM Investment Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Booking in the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Kings Path Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Booking in the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Financial Connections Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Booking in the 2nd quarter worth about $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Booking Trading Down 0.2 %

BKNG opened at $3,827.47 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $129.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.70, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.40. The company’s 50 day moving average is $3,768.64 and its 200 day moving average is $3,702.01. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $2,733.04 and a 12-month high of $4,144.32.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The business services provider reported $41.90 earnings per share (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 quarter last year, the firm posted $37.62 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 177.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 6th will be issued a dividend of $8.75 per share. This represents a $35.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 6th. Booking’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.25%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Booking

In other 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 24,721 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $100,556,375.65. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, insider Paulo Pisano sold 100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the insider now owns 3,787 shares in the company, valued at $14,722,379.07. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 15th. The stock was 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 owns 24,721 shares in the company, valued at approximately $100,556,375.65. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BKNG has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Benchmark lowered their price target on shares of Booking from $4,700.00 to $4,600.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Booking from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $4,350.00 to $4,200.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of Booking from $3,950.00 to $3,750.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Booking from $4,000.00 to $4,200.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Booking from $3,497.00 to $3,976.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.