Northwest Investment Counselors LLC Takes Position in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG)

Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm bought 45 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $190,000.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Park Avenue Securities LLC increased its holdings in Booking by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 624 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,264,000 after acquiring an additional 3 shares during the last quarter. Aspiriant LLC raised its stake in shares of Booking by 4.8% during the 1st quarter. Aspiriant LLC now owns 65 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $236,000 after purchasing an additional 3 shares during the period. Consilio Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Booking by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. Consilio Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 178 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $647,000 after purchasing an additional 3 shares during the period. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC boosted its stake in Booking by 14.3% in the 1st quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 24 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $87,000 after purchasing an additional 3 shares during the period. Finally, Hexagon Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in Booking by 30.0% in the 1st quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 13 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 3 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.42% of the company’s stock.

Booking Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ BKNG traded up $9.18 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $4,360.00. The company had a trading volume of 63,342 shares, compared to its average volume of 246,320. The company has a market capitalization of $147.93 billion, a PE ratio of 32.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.40. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $3,980.33 and its 200 day simple moving average is $3,823.98. Booking Holdings Inc. has a 1-year low of $2,733.04 and a 1-year high of $4,394.95.

Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The business services provider reported $41.90 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $39.22 by $2.68. Booking had a net margin of 22.46% and a negative return on equity of 200.87%. The company had revenue of $5.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.77 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $37.62 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Booking Holdings Inc. will post 176.92 EPS for the current year.

Booking Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 6th were paid a $8.75 dividend. This represents a $35.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 6th. Booking’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.25%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on BKNG shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Booking from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Truist Financial assumed coverage on Booking in a research report on Friday, September 6th. They set a “hold” rating and a $4,100.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $3,900.00 target price on shares of Booking in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Booking from $3,976.00 to $4,173.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Booking from $3,950.00 to $3,750.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Booking has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $4,130.18.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other 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 owns 3,787 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,722,379.07. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.12% of the stock is owned by company 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.