Checchi Capital Advisers LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG)

Checchi Capital Advisers LLC grew its position in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 1.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 500 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 5 shares during the period. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC’s holdings in Booking were worth $2,484,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc purchased a new stake in Booking during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Booking during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. increased its stake in Booking by 600.0% in the 4th quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 7 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 6 shares in the last quarter. Addison Advisors LLC boosted its position in Booking by 80.0% during the third quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 9 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 4 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. grew its holdings in Booking by 66.7% in the third quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 10 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 4 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BKNG has been the topic of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Booking from $5,575.00 to $5,750.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. DA Davidson lifted their price objective on Booking from $5,005.00 to $5,800.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Booking from $5,155.00 to $5,900.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Booking from $4,470.00 to $5,248.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Booking from $5,250.00 to $5,900.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $5,370.43.

Booking Stock Performance

BKNG stock opened at $5,033.83 on Wednesday. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 1 year low of $3,180.00 and a 1 year high of $5,337.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $165.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.09, a PEG ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.39. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $4,898.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $4,591.58.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The business services provider reported $41.55 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $35.82 by $5.73. Booking had a negative return on equity of 159.34% and a net margin of 24.78%. The company had revenue of $5.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.18 billion. As a group, analysts predict that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 209.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Booking Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a $9.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $38.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.76%. This is an increase from Booking’s previous quarterly dividend of $8.75. Booking’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.23%.

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.