SVB Wealth LLC Purchases 73 Shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG)

SVB Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 14.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 591 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the quarter. SVB Wealth LLC’s holdings in Booking were worth $2,096,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Booking during the fourth quarter worth $1,068,137,000. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in Booking by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 383,996 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,184,224,000 after acquiring an additional 5,040 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its stake in Booking by 61.6% during the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 295,891 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $596,303,000 after buying an additional 112,831 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Booking by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 217,517 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $510,828,000 after purchasing an additional 5,506 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rothschild & Co Wealth Management UK Ltd raised its holdings in Booking by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Rothschild & Co Wealth Management UK Ltd now owns 149,902 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $462,290,000 after buying an additional 4,048 shares during the period. 92.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Booking Price Performance

Shares of BKNG opened at $3,443.91 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $3,586.29 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $3,364.25. Booking Holdings Inc. has a one year low of $2,456.93 and a one year high of $3,918.00. The company has a market cap of $117.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.40.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 22nd. The business services provider reported $32.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $29.72 by $2.28. The business had revenue of $4.78 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.71 billion. Booking had a negative return on equity of 751.49% and a net margin of 20.08%. Booking’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $24.74 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 175.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 8th were given a dividend of $8.75 per share. This represents a $35.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th. Booking’s dividend payout ratio is 29.67%.

Insider Activity at Booking

In other news, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 4,302 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 directly owns 33,548 shares in the company, valued at $114,826,417. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, insider Paulo Pisano sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,485.00, for a total transaction of $1,045,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,233 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,752,005. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 4,302 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 33,548 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $114,826,417. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 5,461 shares of company stock valued at $18,815,825 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.15% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on BKNG. Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of Booking from $3,450.00 to $4,200.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Ascendiant Capital Markets boosted their price target on Booking from $3,700.00 to $3,900.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 29th. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Booking in a report on Wednesday, March 13th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on Booking in a research note on Tuesday, January 9th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $4,150.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Booking in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Booking has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $3,723.41.

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.