AustralianSuper Pty Ltd Sells 5,109 Shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG)

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd cut its holdings in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 13.9% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 31,684 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 5,109 shares during the quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd’s holdings in Booking were worth $133,457,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Booking in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust boosted its holdings in shares of Booking by 133.3% in the second quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 7 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 4 shares during the period. POM Investment Strategies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Booking in the second quarter valued at $28,000. Kings Path Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Booking during the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, West Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Booking during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Institutional investors own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Booking Price Performance

Shares of BKNG traded up $214.20 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $4,678.13. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 243,583 shares, compared to its average volume of 244,777. The company’s 50 day moving average is $4,100.42 and its 200 day moving average is $3,866.59. The stock has a market cap of $156.81 billion, a PE ratio of 33.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.40. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $2,756.13 and a 12-month high of $4,856.60.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The business services provider reported $83.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $77.94 by $5.95. The firm had revenue of $7.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.63 billion. Booking had a net margin of 22.46% and a negative return on equity of 200.87%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 177.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Booking

In related news, insider Paulo Pisano sold 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,887.61, for a total transaction of $388,761.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,787 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,722,379.07. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.12% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on BKNG shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on shares of Booking from $4,275.00 to $4,105.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $3,900.00 price target on shares of Booking in a research report on Monday, August 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Booking from $4,025.00 to $3,860.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Wedbush upped their target price on Booking from $3,900.00 to $4,750.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on Booking from $4,200.00 to $5,000.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Booking has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $4,408.93.

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.