Bokf Na Grows Stock Holdings in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG)

Bokf Na grew its holdings in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 0.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 1,847 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Bokf Na’s holdings in Booking were worth $6,592,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in BKNG. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Booking during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,742,160,000. Global Assets Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of Booking during the first quarter valued at approximately $401,371,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Booking during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,774,850,000. BlueSpruce Investments LP bought a new stake in shares of Booking during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $220,080,000. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Booking by 4,565.4% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 62,610 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $227,143,000 after acquiring an additional 61,268 shares in the last quarter. 92.42% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Booking

In other news, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 24,721 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $100,556,375.65. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 750 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 15th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $100,556,375.65. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Radakovich Lynn Vojvodich sold 22 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,437.25, for a total transaction of $75,619.50. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 189 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $649,640.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 999 shares of company stock valued at $3,939,187. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Booking Price Performance

BKNG stock traded up $41.11 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $3,700.99. The company had a trading volume of 233,994 shares, compared to its average volume of 203,060. The company has a market capitalization of $125.57 billion, a PE ratio of 27.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.38. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $3,887.65 and a 200 day moving average of $3,686.47. 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 issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The business services provider reported $20.39 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $14.03 by $6.36. Booking had a net margin of 21.81% and a negative return on equity of 288.35%. The business had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.25 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $11.60 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 178.55 EPS for the current year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 7th were given a $8.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 7th. This represents a $35.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.95%. Booking’s payout ratio is presently 26.25%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Booking from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Booking from $3,950.00 to $4,025.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $3,850.00 target price on shares of Booking in a research report on Tuesday, April 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Booking from $3,494.00 to $3,497.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Booking from $3,800.00 to $4,300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $4,056.31.

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.