Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) Shares Bought by Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc.

Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 684.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,051 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,662 shares during the quarter. Booking makes up 1.2% of Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 12th largest position. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Booking were worth $10,823,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Activest Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Booking in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Booking in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Booking in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Bourgeon Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Booking during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Arlington Trust Co LLC acquired a new position in shares of Booking during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. 92.42% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Booking Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ BKNG traded down $7.36 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $3,478.27. 159,227 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 276,138. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $3,595.13 and its 200 day moving average price is $3,360.99. The company has a market capitalization of $118.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.40. Booking Holdings Inc. has a twelve month low of $2,456.93 and a twelve month high of $3,918.00.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 22nd. The business services provider reported $32.00 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $29.72 by $2.28. The firm had revenue of $4.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.71 billion. Booking had a net margin of 20.08% and a negative return on equity of 751.49%. The firm’s revenue was up 18.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $24.74 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 175.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Booking Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 8th were paid a dividend of $8.75 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th. This represents a $35.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.01%. Booking’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.67%.

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 transaction of $14,724,670.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 33,548 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $114,826,417. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Radakovich Lynn Vojvodich sold 59 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,700.00, for a total transaction of $218,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 289 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,069,300. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 4,302 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,422.75, for a total value of $14,724,670.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 33,548 shares in the company, valued at $114,826,417. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 4,689 shares of company stock valued at $16,086,423 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.15% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BKNG has been the topic of several recent research reports. B. Riley began coverage on Booking in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $4,400.00 target price on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Booking from $3,080.00 to $3,610.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 19th. UBS Group upped their price target on Booking from $4,000.00 to $4,200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Seaport Res Ptn reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Booking in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, Ascendiant Capital Markets raised their target price on Booking from $3,700.00 to $3,900.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 29th. Seven research 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.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $3,723.41.

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.