Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) Shares Sold by Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC lowered its holdings in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 3.4% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 5,003 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 175 shares during the period. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Booking were worth $17,747,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Activest Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Booking in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Naples Money Management LLC acquired a new stake in Booking in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Booking in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Booking in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Bourgeon Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Booking during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Booking Price Performance

Shares of BKNG stock traded up $104.47 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $3,577.38. 534,715 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 200,734. The company’s 50 day moving average is $3,524.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $3,406.68. The company has a market cap of $121.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.40. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 1 year low of $2,456.93 and a 1 year high of $3,918.00.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The business services provider reported $20.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $14.03 by $6.36. The firm had revenue of $4.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.25 billion. Booking had a negative return on equity of 433.49% and a net margin of 21.81%. Booking’s revenue was up 16.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $11.60 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 176.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Booking Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 8th were issued a dividend of $8.75 per share. This represents a $35.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th. Booking’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on BKNG shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Booking from $3,950.00 to $4,025.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. B. Riley initiated coverage on Booking in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $4,400.00 target price for the company. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and set a $4,205.00 price target (up previously from $4,150.00) on shares of Booking in a report on Friday. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Booking from $3,550.00 to $3,900.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 23rd. Finally, Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Booking in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $3,823.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 4,302 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,422.75, for a total value of $14,724,670.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 33,548 shares in the company, valued at approximately $114,826,417. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Booking news, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 4,302 shares of Booking stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,422.75, for a total transaction of $14,724,670.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 33,548 shares in the company, valued at $114,826,417. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,534.10, for a total transaction of $2,650,575.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 26,971 shares in the company, valued at approximately $95,318,211.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 5,483 shares of company stock worth $18,891,445. 0.15% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.