Altshuler Shaham Ltd Trims Stake in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG)

Altshuler Shaham Ltd cut its holdings in shares of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) by 18.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 78 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 18 shares during the quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd’s holdings in Booking were worth $277,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Activest Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Booking in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Naples Money Management LLC purchased a new stake in Booking during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Booking during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Booking during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Bourgeon Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Booking in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. 92.42% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Booking Stock Up 3.3 %

Shares of BKNG traded up $120.03 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $3,780.03. 437,013 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 272,135. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $3,532.23 and a 200 day simple moving average of $3,420.07. The firm has a market cap of $128.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.40. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $2,456.93 and a 12-month high of $3,918.00.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The business services provider reported $20.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $14.03 by $6.36. Booking had a negative return on equity of 288.35% and a net margin of 21.81%. The company had revenue of $4.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.25 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $11.60 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 16.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 176.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Booking Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 7th will be paid a dividend of $8.75 per share. This represents a $35.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 7th. Booking’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.25%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Edward Jones reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Booking in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Benchmark restated a “hold” rating on shares of Booking in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. BMO Capital Markets reissued 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, May 3rd. Susquehanna increased their price objective on Booking from $3,600.00 to $4,100.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Monday, February 26th. Finally, HSBC boosted their target price on Booking from $4,220.00 to $4,230.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $3,876.96.

Insider Transactions at Booking

In other Booking news, Director Radakovich Lynn Vojvodich sold 28 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,498.29, for a total transaction of $97,952.12. Following the transaction, the director now owns 233 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $815,101.57. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, Director Radakovich Lynn Vojvodich sold 28 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,498.29, for a total transaction of $97,952.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 233 shares in the company, valued at $815,101.57. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Glenn D. Fogel sold 4,302 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 5,651 shares of company stock valued at $19,485,975. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.